LOS ANGELES, CA (KMJ) – Mourners gathered in Los Angeles on Monday to say farewell to Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna.
More than 20,000 people came to the Los Angeles Staples Center, where Bryant played 17 seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Tickets were sold out for the ceremony at the downtown LA arena for friends and family to say goodbye to the former basketball superstar.
NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter were killed tragically January 26, 2020 in a helicopter crash.
Bryant, 13-year-old Gianna Brayant, Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa, mother and daughter Sarah and Payton Chester; Mamba Academy basketball coach Christina Mauser; and pilot Ara Zobayan, all died when the helicopter piloted by Zobayan crashed into the Calabasas mountainside last month
The ceremony was the first time that his widow Vanessa Bryant had spoken in public.
Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, shared heartfelt stories about her daughter and husband.
Bryant spent 20 years in the NBA, and was remembered by many players for his esteemed career.
NBA legends Michael Jordan, Kareen Abdul Jabbar (below) and Shaquille O’Neal and other friends in the basketball community shared stories from their time with Bryant.
Tears streaming down his face, NBA legend Michael Jordan said that he thought of Kobe Bryant as a little brother.
Jordan said he would receive calls from Bryant at all hours from the younger player who was eager to talk about the game.
He joked that the younger Bryant peppered him with questions about what to expect as his career started taking off.
Bryant was eager to become the best basketball player, and Jordan said he, in turn, he wanted to be the best big brother he could be to the talented young player.
The audience was a wide range of Bryant’s followers, family, fans, sports stars, coaches and celebrities.
Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez was seated along with her fiance, baseball star Alex Rodriguez.
Singer Beyonce opened the ceremony with surprise performance.
She performed her 2008 hit song “Halo.”
“I’m here because I love Kobe,” Beyoncé said.
Cristina Aguilera and Alicia Keyes were some of the other performers, also singing to the fans.
A selection from the short film “Dear Basketball” that won Kobe Bryant an Academy Award played on the big screens.
Kobe Bryant won a 2018 Oscar in the animated short category for the film based on a poem he wrote after ending his 20-year career basketball career in 2016.
The proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, which supports youth sports programs in underserved communities and teaches sports to girls and women.
Click to listen to reports by KMJ’s Liz Kern:
