Kobe Bryant and Gianna’s ‘Celebration of Life’ Memorial: Everything to Know

NBA fans and players alike will gather in Los Angeles on Monday to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and the seven others that died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26. A private funeral was held on Friday, Feb. 7, which provided his wife, Vanessa, and their daughters time to grieve in private.

Monday’s memorial service, however, will give the fans their opportunity to honor the memories of those that died in the crash. They were able to purchase tickets that helped raise money for the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation.

Monday’s date is significant for the Bryant family as it combines Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers jersey number, 24, Gianna’s jersey number, 2, and 20, the number of years Bryant was a Laker, the majority of which were spent playing at the Staples Center.

Considering that Bryant was such a public-facing figure throughout his life, it is expected that thousands would want to be on hand to honor his memory. Here are the most important things that those fans need to know about Monday’s memorial service in Los Angeles.

Location

Bryant spent the majority of his career at Staples Center, helping deliver five championships to the city of Los Angeles. It is only fitting that the memorial service would be held in the same building where thousands of fans congregated to watch him shine on the basketball court.

The Staples Center has been home to memorial services in the past, including one for rapper Nipsey Hussle in April 2019. The building will also serve as the location for a Monday night battle between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Time

The memorial service on Monday will take place earlier in the day due to the game between the Grizzlies and the Clippers. The service will begin at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET), although coverage will begin much earlier.

Fans will be expected to show up much earlier in the morning due to the amount of traffic. There will be thousands in attendance, and they will not want to arrive late for the memorial service.

Viewing at Home

There will be several options for those not able to attend the memorial service in Los Angeles. Although these viewers will need to remain at home. The service will not be broadcast on the displays at LA Live.

ABC News will share coverage of the memorial on ABC News Live. The coverage will be live from Los Angeles and is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT on Roku, Hulu, Xumo, Sling TV, Facebook Watch, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and the ABC News mobile app. In addition, ABC NewsOne will provide full coverage with correspondent Elena Gomez reporting from the Staples Center. NBA TV will also carry the memorial service.

Attendees

It’s expected that there will be thousands on hand for the memorial service, ranging between NBA players, celebrities, and fans. The exact number is unknown, but there were a limited number of tickets sold, ranging in price from $24.02 to $224.

When Michael Jackson’s memorial service was held at Staples Center, there were 17,000 tickets given out. The arena can hold roughly 20,000 people for non-sports events, but will the building push this limit?

Speakers

Bryant was a very popular figure around the world, and there were countless celebrities and fellow basketball players paying tribute to him following his death. Will any of these figures speak during the memorial service? As of Sunday night, the answer is unknown.

One figure that will likely be involved in the service is Bryant’s former teammate, Shaquille O’Neal. The two NBA players won three consecutive championships together in the early 2000s and remained close following their retirements.

Other Victims

The focus entering Monday will be on the memorial service for Bryant and his daughter Gianna. However, there are many that want to know if the other seven victims will also be honored during the ceremony.

The other victims of the helicopter crash on Jan. 26 were Gianna’s basketball teammates Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester, Altobelli’s parents John and Keri Altobelli, Chester’s mom Sarah Chester, girls’ basketball coach Christina Mauser and pilot Ara Zobayan. They are expected to be honored during the memorial service. 

Honoring Bryant’s Memory

There are thousands of fans that want to honor Bryant, but they will not be able to attend the memorial service. Maybe they don’t live in Los Angeles or they couldn’t afford tickets when they went on sale. What can they do?

One option for honoring Bryant’s memory is to donate to charities. The Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation provides funding to underserved communities and athletes with the goal of positively impacting their lives. There is also the MambaOnThree Foundation, which has been raising money for the families of the other victims.

(Photo Credit: Harry How/Getty Images)