Shortly after the death of Kobe Bryant became public knowledge, fans in Los Angeles headed to Staples Center to pay tribute to the former Lakers star. They created a makeshift tribute that has lasted a week and grown larger by the day. Now, however, it is being dismantled by the arena staff.
According to KTLA5, the cleanup began around 4 a.m. and was revealed by Staples Center President Lee Zeidman. He took a photo of the progress and posted it on Twitter to thank the fans for their outpouring of love during the tragic time.
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The cleanup crew boxed up 1,353 basketballs, as well as an assortment of balloons, jerseys, and stuffed toys. Many of the items were marked with personal messages from the fans.
We began the cleanup at 4am @LALIVE XBox Plaza and we have now boxed 1353 basketballs dedicated to Kobe and Gianna. Truly amazing the outpouring of love from the City of Angels in honor of the 9 who lost their lives 1/26/20 pic.twitter.com/MUN21LNupH
— Lee Zeidman (@LeeZeidman) February 3, 2020
The arena staff erected a fence around the memorial as it was being dismantled. This was done to keep the cleanup out of the public view. Fans wanting to pay tribute to Bryant were encouraged to make donations to the Bryant Foundation in lieu of bringing more gifts or flowers to Staples Center.
“This entire week we’ve felt like we’ve lost a relative, a family member, but overall we lost a hero,” an Arizona resident named Grant Mailo said, per ABC7.
Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, has reportedly requested items, which will be cataloged and shipped to the family. The flowers that were brought to the memorial will be composted and spread around the plants near Staples Center.
“please please, the city of LA begs you, create a Kobe museum. that would be incredible,” one Twitter user wrote to Zeidman after learning of the memorial being dismantled. Another said that the basketballs should be placed in LAPD cars and handed out to residents of the city as gestures of goodwill.
Zeidman later provided another update on the cleanup efforts. He revealed that the flowers completely filled a full 40-yard roll off trash bin. He provided a photo that showed three workers standing amid the gifts to provide some perspective. He also reiterated that the flowers would be spread around the Staples Center and LA’s Xbox Live.
(Photo Credit: Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
