Kobe Bryant remembered
A memorial service is held in L.A. for the NBA great and his daughter.
LOS ANGELES – Kobe Bryant's wife offered a poignant portrait of her NBA superstar husband and their daughter Monday at a packed memorial service for the two, who were among nine people killed last month in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles.
Speaking at times through tears, Vanessa Bryant praised her husband's devotion to their family as she addressed thousands of fans gathered at Staples Center to remember Bryant and 13-year-old Gianna.
“God knew they couldn't be on this Earth without each other,” Vanessa Bryant said. “He had to bring them home to have them together. Babe, you take care of our Gigi.”
The service took place at the downtown arena where Bryant played for the Los Angeles Lakers for the final 17 seasons of his two-decade NBA career. Thousands of Lakers fans, many wearing Bryant's jersey or team colors, attended the tearful gathering.
The ceremony began with Beyonce performing her songs “XO” and “Halo” with dozens of backup musicians. Alicia Keys performed Beethoven's “Moonlight Sonata” later in the program, and Christina Aguilera sang “Ave Maria.”
The two-hour program concluded with “Dear Basketball,” Bryant's Academy Award-winning short film.
After Jimmy Kimmel welcomed the crowd, Vanessa Bryant remembered the family's life with Gianna and her three siblings and then eulogized her husband. They had been together since 1999.
“He was the most amazing husband,” she said. “Kobe loved me more than I could ever express or put into words. He was my everything.”
The mourners included Lakers greats such as Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver joined Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Phil Jackson and dozens of current NBA players.
Jordan, the Chicago Bulls great whose career was wrapping up as Bryant's was starting in the late 1990s, praised Bryant as “He was like a little brother. … As I got to know him, I wanted to be the best big brother that I could be.”
The service began just hours after Vanessa Bryant sued the owner of the helicopter that crashed in the fog. The lawsuit claimed that the pilot, Ara Zobayan, was careless and negligent by flying in cloudy conditions.