On February 7, a private funeral was held for Kobe and Gianna Bryant in Los Angeles. The public memorial will take place on February 24 at STAPLES Center. It is expected to reach its maximum capacity at 20,000. There was speculation that STAPLES could not accommodate the amount of people expected to show up but it looks like everything went well. The Los Angeles Coliseum was another rumored option which could hold over 78,400.
Kobe’s wife, Vanessa, continues to try to stay strong. It’s hard to imagine what she’s going through but her posts on social media lately which honor her late husband and daughter. Gigi recently had her No. 2 jersey retired. Now, Vanessa is taking even more steps to pay homage to them as Kobe’s charity will be undergoing a name change.
The Mamba Sports Foundation was the original name but it will now be the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation. Mambacita was Gigi’s nickname. Donations have continued to come in heavily after the passing of both Kobe and Gigi.
“Because there is no #24 without #2, we have updated the Mamba Sports Foundation to now be called the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation,” said Bryant. “Our mission remains the same – and stronger than ever – to provide opportunities to young people through sports.”
Kobe and Gigi’s memorial should be a very beautiful one.The NBA has done an amazing job of honoring the two as well as STAPLES Center. February 24 will be a tough one but it will still be great celebrating their lives. 2/24/20 was chosen by Vanessa due to their jersey numbers and the 20 signifying Kobe’s amount of seasons with the Lakers and the amount of years they were together.
Flip the page for Vanessa’s announcement of the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation.