A ceremony in memory of planetary basketball star Kobe Bryant and the eight people killed with him in a helicopter crash last month is scheduled for February 24 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, American media reported on Thursday. The Lakers, the club where Kobe Bryant has played for 20 years, and the office of Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti have not yet confirmed the event. It has been reported by the Los Angeles Times, which cites two anonymous sources, and CNN, which refers to a source close to the basketball player's family.
The date of February 24 (2/24 according to the American notation) is symbolic: the legend of the Lakers wore the jersey number 24 during his second part of career, and Gianna, his 13 year old daughter taken with him, basketball player too, the number 2. Kobe and Gianna Bryant lost their lives on January 26, when their helicopter crashed into a hillside near Los Angeles, for as yet unknown reasons.
Read also: Death of Kobe Bryant: story of a night of tribute in NBA theaters
The other victims are a baseball coach, John Altobelli, his wife Keri and their daughter Alyssa who played basketball in the same club as Gianna, Christina Mauser, assistant coach of the two teenage girls' basketball team, Sarah and Payton Chester, a mother and daughter, and pilot Ara Zobayan.
Located in the heart of Los Angeles, the Staples Center, famous hall of the Lakers and Clippers, had already hosted the public funeral of Michael Jackson in 2009 and that of the American rapper Nipsey Hussle, shot dead last year in his neighborhood. The Lakers paid a vibrant tribute to the NBA star in their first game after his death.
Kobe Bryant's admirers had improvised an altar - now removed - outside the room, placing mountains of flowers, basketballs, jerseys, stuffed toys and other souvenirs. Thousands of items placed there were sent, at his request, to Kobe Bryant's widow.
Read also: Basketball: Kobe Bryant killed in a helicopter accident
