Kobe Bryant: World's Tallest Building Lights up in Tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant

Retired NBA star Kobe Bryant and his 13-year old daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash on [...]

By Brian Jones

Retired NBA star Kobe Bryant and his 13-year old daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 along with seven other victims. With Bryant being a member of the Los Angeles Lakers for 20 years, the city continues to mourn the loss of a legend. But Bryant's loss has made an impact on the entire world, as people in Dubai were seen honoring him. The Burj Khalifa, which is the world's tallest building and is located in Dubai, was recently lit up in memory of Bryant and Gianna. It showed the two embracing each other and tourists took photos and videos of the building.

This has been one of the many tributes to Bryant, Gianna and the seven other victims in the helicopter crash which occurred outside the Los Angeles area. But the most emotional tribute might have to be in Los Angeles when the Lakers had their first game since the crash. A special ceremony took place before the game and every fan received Bryant t-shirts. LeBron James spoke to the crowd before the game and he got emotional talking about what Bryant meant to him and the NBA community.

"I look at this as a celebration tonight," James said via CBS Sports. "This is a celebration of the 20 years of the blood, the sweat, the tears, the broken down body...the determination to be as great as he could be. Tonight we celebrate the kid that came here at 18 years of age, retired at 38 and became probably the best dad that we've seen over the last three years. Tonight is a celebration.

"Kobe is a brother to me," James continued. "From the time I was in high school watching him from afar, to getting in this league at 18 and watching him up close, all the battles that we had throughout my career, the one thing that we always shared was that determination to just want to win, to just want to be great. The fact that I'm here now means so much to me. I want to continue, along with my teammates, his legacy. Not only for this year, but for as long as we can play this game of basketball that we love, because that's what Kobe Bryant would want. So in the words of Kobe Bryant, 'Mamba out.' But in the words of us, not forgotten. Live on, brother."

0comments
Start the Conversation

of