New Kobe Bryant and Gianna Murals Go up in Downtown LA
A new Kobe Bryant and Gianna mural went up in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday. The mural was done [...]
A new Kobe Bryant and Gianna mural went up in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday. The mural was done by Tehrell Porter Designs and features a Gianna with a side profile of Bryant intertwined in the hair. Bryant's wife, Vanessa, shared the mural on her Instagram page, writing, "My baby. Thank you [Tehrell Porter Designs]. I love seeing Kobe in Gigi's hair too.
Tehrell Porter Designs responded to Vanessa's post on Instagram, writing, "[Vanessa Bryant], I'm glad you caught that. Send my love and hold ya head." The new mural is one of many in the Los Angeles area. According to the website KobeMural.com, there 277 murals of Bryant and Gianna in Southern California, 360 in the United States and 125 murals in 40 other countries. All of the murals pay tribute to Bryant and Gianna who died in a helicopter crash over a year ago with seven other people.
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Along with fans paying tribute to Bryant, players have found ways to honor the Los Angeles Lakers legend. Back in April, it was revealed that Los Angeles Clippers star Lou Williams had a full-length mural of Bryant and Gianna in his home. He also wrote a song title "24" to honor the future basketball Hall of Famer.
"We established a friendship and a bond just by working together and playing together," Williams told ESPN's Rosalyn Gold-Onwude in a recent interview, as reported by Sports Illustrated. "It just means a lot for him to be memorialized in my house and have the opportunity to do that for both of them."
Art Gozukuchikyan, who goes by the artist name of Artoon, painted a mural of Bryant and Gianna shortly their deaths and revealed what Bryant has meant to the community. "He's huge for this city. He is L.A.," Gozukuchikyan said per KTLA 5. "If there's anyone that represents L.A., that's Kobe. We love him. We're all pretty sad." And when talking about Gianna, Gozukchikyan said: "There is no way I could've left her out. Kobe is a legend. People are devastated. But losing his child too, I wouldn't wish that on anyone." Bryant was a member of the Lakers from 1996-2016. He became one of the best players in NBA history after leading the Lakers to five NBA Championships and being selected to the All-Star game 18 times.