Kobe Bryant Memorial Has Fans Noticing Significance of Event Date, and They’re Emotional

Fans are struggling to contain their emotions after Kobe Bryant‘s public memorial was confirmed to take place on Feb. 24, a date that holds deeper meaning. The date, which in numerical form stands as “2/24,” not only pays pays tribute to Bryant’s retired jersey number 24, one of two numbers he played under for the Los Angeles Lakers, but also to his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, whose number 2 jersey was recently retired by her Mamba Academy basketball team.

According to a source who spoke to Entertainment Tonight the chosen date was no coincidence.

“There was conversations about possibly having the ceremony at the LA Coliseum to fit more people, but ultimately the Staples Center made the most sense as it was such a big part of Kobe’s life,” the source told the outlet. “The date being the 24th was a decision to coincide with his jersey number as well. The day will be a way for LA to celebrate a man that meant so much to the city.”

Set to take place at the Staples Center, known as “The House that Kobe Built,” additional information for the memorial has not yet been announced, though it is expected that seats will be very limited.

Keep scrolling to see some of the reactions to memorial’s date.

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“It really is the best day of the year,” wrote one fan. “#24/2.”

“it only makes sense to have it on that day,” added someone else.

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“Aww that’s nice,” wrote one person.

Meanwhile, another fan noticed that after a little math, the numbers of the date add up to 8, the other jersey number Bryant played. That jersey was also retired following his 2016 retirement from the NBA.

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“All these coincidences,” tweeted one.

“God must’ve really planned for that,” added a third.

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“They did this on purpose too,” wrote one person. “Still hits hard tho.”

“I wasn’t ready for this,” added another fan.

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“That is so thoughtful,” added someone else.

“AMAZING,” wrote another.

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“Y’all…this one hurt,” wrote one.

“When you think you’re done crying,” wrote someone else, adding a series of broken heart emojis.

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However, while some fans struggle to deal with their emotions amid the heartbreaking date, others are airing their concerns over the public memorial. The Staples Center is only capable of holding up to 20,000 people, which many fans fear is not nearly enough for the large crowds that will likely wish to attend the service.

“Staples center to small smh,” wrote one person. “Kobe memorial could fill up a football stadium.”

“I think the space is too small but it makes total sense,” added another.