Sunday marked what would have been Kobe Bryant‘s 42nd birthday, and millions reacted to the day by honoring his memory. Actor Theo Rossi (Sons of Anarchy, Luke Cage) was among those remembering the NBA legend following his death in a Jan. 26 helicopter crash. Rossi posted a tribute to Bryant that featured two photos, as well as the hashtag “#MambaForever.”
The photos posted on Rossi’s social media accounts showed Bryant in two stages of his life. One featured him at the end of his career, holding a basketball to his head. The other showed Bryant much earlier in his career when he still wore No. 8. Rossi has posted about Bryant multiple times since the NBA icon’s death, including one photo in February that showed both Bryant and his daughter Gianna sitting next to each other.
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KOBE would be 42 today.#MambaForever
โ THEO (@Theorossi) August 23, 2020
๐๐๐ pic.twitter.com/6Vny2pG9kU
“ALL the PRAYERS, POWER and LOVE to the families of ALL those lost in the tragic helicopter crash today,” Rossi wrote on Jan. 26. “Hold those you LOVE close and LIVE life with the same relentless passion #KobeBryant had towards his LIFE and the game he loved to play. This LIFE is a BLINK.”
Rossi was one of the many that posted tributes to Bryant following his death, as well as on his birthday. Multitudes wanted to keep his memory alive while discussing his significant impact on the court and away from it following his retirement. This group also includes the Los Angeles Dodgers.
When the MLB team headed to the field on Sunday for a game against the Colorado Rockies, they did so to honor Bryant’s memory on his birthday. The players wore No. 8 and No. 24 Lakers jerseys that all featured Bryant’s name. The team also put Gianna’s No. 2 and Bryant’s No. 24 on the mound before playing a special video narrated by longtime announcer Vin Scully.
“We lost Kobe a little too soon,” said Dodgers player Enrique Hernandez. “What he meant to this city and the entire world, to see the impact he had on athletes and non-athletes, that tells you what type of person he was. For us to be able to be part of something like that is very meaningful, and I’m glad we did something really nice and we also were able to win that game for him and it’s something I’ll always remember.”