Bryant mourned
Jordan and Vanessa remember Kobe at Staples Center in LA
LOS ANGELES: A tearful Michael Jordan on Monday remembered his “little brother” Kobe Bryant at a starfilled memorial in Los Angeles for the basketball great and his daughter Gianna, who died with seven others in a helicopter crash last month.
“When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died, and as I look in this arena, across the globe, a piece of you died,” the NBA legend said with tears streaming down his face.
“I promise you, from this day forward, I will live with the memories and knowing that I had a little brother.
“I tried to help in every way I could. Please rest in peace, little brother.”
The public memorial — dubbed “A Celebration of Life for Kobe and Gianna Bryant” — was held at Staples Center, the arena where Bryant wowed fans for 17 years, and known as “the house that Kobe built.”
The 2/24 date carries special significance as it coincides with Bryant’s jersey number — “24” — and Gianna’s “2” jersey number.
Another basketball legend, Shaquille O’Neal, also spoke at the ceremony, drawing cheers as he recalled the three NBA titles that he and Bryant won together.
“Kobe and I have pushed one another to play some of the greatest basketball of all time and I am proud that no other team has accomplished the three-peat the Lakers have done since Shaq-and-the-Kobe Lakers did it,” O’Neal said.
Beyonce, backed by a choir, opened the ceremony with one of Bryant’s favourite songs XO, from her 2013 album, followed by Halo.
“I’m here because I love Kobe,” said the 70-time Grammy-nominated singer, who was dressed in a golden suit — the colour of the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant’s team for two decades.
Bryant’s widow Vanessa paid a tearful tribute to her late 41-year-old husband and middle daughter, saying she could not fathom life without them and describing Bryant as “my everything.”
“God knew they couldn’t be on this earth without each other,” Bryant said in her first public remarks since the Jan 26 crash. “He had to bring them home together.”
She spoke of her heartbreak at not being able to watch Gianna — who was 13 and one of four daughters the couple had — grow up and missing important moments of her life.
“I won’t be able to tell her how gorgeous she looks on her wedding day,” she said through tears, receiving a standing ovation for the tribute.
“I’ll never get to see my baby girl walk down the aisle, have a fatherdaughter dance with her daddy.”
Apart from Jordan, other greatest stars in NBA history attended the event included Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Among other celebrities attending the memorial were filmmaker Spike
Lee, who was close friends with Bryant and directed a documentary on his life, and rapper Snoop Dogg, an avid Lakers fan. Many of the fans lucky enough to nab one of the much sought-after 20,000 tickets for the memorial wore the gold and purple colours of the Lakers as they headed for the two-anda-half hour ceremony being held amid tight security.
VANESSA SUES COPTER FIRM
Bryant’s widow Vanessa filed a lawsuit on Monday against the operators of the helicopter that crashed on Jan 26, killing the NBA icon and eight others.
The suit, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, names Island Express Helicopters, Island Express Holding Corp and Ara Zobayan, the estate of the helicopter’s pilot who was among the victims.
Monday’s lawsuit faults the company for allowing the helicopter to fly in “heavy fog and low clouds” that Sunday morning, conditions which prompted “law enforcement agencies and tour companies” to ground their helicopters.