Kobe And Gianna Bryant Memorial: Recap And Fan Reactions
Today was the public memorial for Kobe and Gianna Bryant. The event was held at The Staples Center with over 20,000 fans in attendance. Also celebrated during the memorial were the other seven victims of the helicopter, Payton Chester, 13; Sarah Chester, 45; Alyssa Altobelli, 14; Keri Altobelli, 46; John Altobelli, 56; Christina Mauser, 38; and Ara Zobayan, 50.
Beyonce started off the celebration by performing “XO” and “Halo.” Afterward, Jimmy Kimmel spoke and introduced Vanessa Bryant. An emotional Bryant told stories about both Kobe and Gianna, also explaining how much the two had in common. She discussed Gianna’s personality, sense of humor, and go-to style.
Vanessa said, “I miss her sweet kisses, her cleverness… Gigi was sunshine, she brightened up my day, every day,” Vanessa said. She also discussed the moments she wouldn’t be able to see her daughter complete, including attending high school, walking down the aisle in her wedding, and have babies.
When talking about Kobe, Vanessa referred to him by some of his nicknames, including “Koko, my Boo Boo, my Bae Boo, my Papi Chulo.” She also reminisced about their love story, which began when she was 17 and a half. “We balanced each other out,” she shared before speaking about of how romantic Kobe was. She shared that he always looked forward to Valentine’s Day and their anniversaries. She also revealed that Kobe loved being the MVP or “MVD” of girl dads, “he never left the toilet seat up.” Vanessa joked. She received a standing ovation after speaking.
During her speech, celebrities like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kerri Walsh, and Snoop Dogg could be seen in the audience.
Others who spoke during the memorial include Sabrina Ionescu, Diana Taurasi, Geno Auriemma, and Rob Pelinka.
Many fans took to social media to reflect and discuss the memorial. See some of the tweets below.
It’s so meaningful that brilliant female athletes like Diana Taurasi and Sabrina Ionescu are getting this opportunity to discuss their relationship with Kobe. People need to see his support of female athletes went beyond just having a daughter. #ForKobeAndGigi
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) February 24, 2020
The fact that she said she still texts Kobe even though he’s not here #KobeFarewell pic.twitter.com/D90cC89RXl
— Sunshine (@LexiLuv47) February 24, 2020
Sabrina has a poignant call to action there... if u loved Kobe, if u believe in mamba mentality... love on Women’s basketball. Be better in your support of it... as Kobe invested so genuinely to the women’s game and Gigi’s passion for the game. 🏀❤️
— Ros Gold-Onwude (@ROSGO21) February 24, 2020
Vanessa Bryant on Gigi & Kobe:
— FAST TRACK 🇳🇬 (@FastTrackNaija) February 24, 2020
“I’ll never get to see my baby girl walk down the aisle, have a father-daughter dance with her daddy."
😢😢😢#KobeFarewell pic.twitter.com/Qfl0K7qn84
I got a chuckle out of Vanessa saying Kobe was into Stepmom, the Notebook and Steel Magnolias. These little nuggets are uplifting. #ForKobeAndGigi
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) February 24, 2020
Watching the Kobe memorial like: pic.twitter.com/oZevn7XDww
— Cameron Magruder (@ScooterMagruder) February 24, 2020
https://twitter.com/Cinephile420/status/1232026524024557574
Kobe’s wife is a strong woman 🙏
— lil duval (@lilduval) February 24, 2020
Vanessa is giving us WAYYY more than we could have ever imagined right now.
— Shanelle Genai’s YeeHaw Agenda✨ (@shanellegenai) February 24, 2020
Bless her Jesus, wow man 🥺#ForKobeAndGiGi #KobeFarewell
Kobe And Gianna Bryant Memorial: Recap And Fan Reactions
