This February 24, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the official ceremony was held in honor of Kobe Bryant , and his daughter, Gianna , who lost their lives last January 26 in a terrible helicopter accident, which claimed Seven more lives.
The death of the star player of the Lakers impacted the entire world, and with this "Celebration of Life", the Lakers Angels, his family, and almost 20,000 people gave the NBA legend and his little daughter 13 a final goodbye years.
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Many celebrities gathered at the stadium to remember one of their great friends and pay tribute. With a stadium filled, the stage was decorated with roses all around.
"Loved ones appreciate the prayers and messages of support for Kobe, Gianna and their friends. This is a celebration of life," said the host who opened the event in the presence of Vannesa Bryant and NBA stars like Michael Jordan , Magic Johnson, Phil Jackson, Anthony Davis, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Bill Russell and Lamar Odom .
Among those present were celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez , who could not contain the sadness at the sense of homage. The 50-year-old singer broke into tears during the ceremony where Kobe's wife, Vanessa, was one of the first to speak and was greeted with a standing ovation from the audience.
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"Thank you all for being here. I love you all. Thank you for the messages and love to my family from all over the world. I want to talk about Kobe and Gigi. First of my little baby," he anticipated, and broke first Once in the night.
Jennifer Lopez shed some tears as she remembered her friend, who was last fired from the Staples Center.
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For his part, Jimmy Kimmel , who was in charge of introducing Vanessa, could not contain the crying when talking about Kobe, whom he considered one of his great friends, and when it was his turn to go on stage, the television presenter barely He could pronounce the words in a broken voice.
On the verge of tears, the presenter and comedian paid tribute to the player, his daughter Gianna, and the other victims of the plane crash.
"Today we are accompanied by Kobe teammates and opponents alike, their friends, their family and their fans, while we try to make sense of what happened to these nine beautiful people who were full of life and who left behind their parents, friends, coworkers, classmates, brothers and children, "he said.
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"I've been trying to get something positive about this, and it was difficult because there isn't much, but the best thing I think I could find is this: gratitude," said the television host.
Kimmel wanted to give a positive message and encouraged the audience to be grateful for the time they shared with Bryant. "Thanks. All we can do is thank the time we spent with them and the time we stayed with each other," were the powerful words of the presenter.
With tears on his face, Michael Jordan also paid tribute to his "brother" Kobe, the player broke into tears as he delivered his emotional speech.
"In the game of basketball, in life, as a father, Kobe left nothing in the tank," Jordan said, addressing the audience present at the Staples Center. "Maybe it surprised people ... but we were very good friends," Jordan said. "Everyone always wanted to talk about comparisons between him and me," said the famous basketball player.
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Despite the rivalry, as both were considered the best in the game, Jordan said Bryant went incessantly to him for advice on how to shore up his game.
"At first, it was a nuisance," he said. “But then it became a certain passion. This child had a great passion that you would never know, ”he continued.
"I wanted to be the best basketball player I could be," Jordan said. "And as I met him, I wanted to be the best older brother for him," said the player.
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