Private Funeral Lays Kobe Bryant And His Daughter Giana To Rest

Feb 12, 2020 by apost team

A private funeral for the father-daughter pair was held on Friday, February 7th, at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona Del Mar, California.

The funeral comes two weeks after basketball star Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash along with seven other victims on January 26th. 

After the Los Angeles helicopter crash killed NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna among seven others on January 26th, a private funeral was held on February 7th. According to the Los Angeles Times, the memorial was originally scheduled to be held at Westwood Village Memorial Park but was changed to the Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona Del Mar, California, near Bryant's Orange County home. 

A public memorial for Kobe and Gianna will be held on Monday, February 24th, in addition to the private funeral. The venue is the same Staples Center in Los Angeles where basketball star Kobe played for the Lakers throughout his 20-year NBA career. The choice of date should not go unnoticed, as the number 24 was the number Kobe wore on his jersey since the start of his prolific career in the 2006-07 season. 

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In an Instagram post, Kobe's wife, Vanessa Bryant, confirmed the date and time of the public memorial. Vanessa's post lets fans know that the memorial starts at 10 a.m. at the Staples Center, surrounded by artwork of yellow and purple butterflies. 

On January 30th, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti confirmed with the Los Angeles Times that the public memorial was for the basketball icon, but also the eight other victims killed by the accident. 

Garcetti told the Los Angeles Times that "there will absolutely be a memorial to mark the contributions of this incredible man and not only him, but to commemorate the loss of his daughter and all the other families that were there." The specific others that Garcetti alludes to are Kobe's daughter, Gianna, as well as Alyssa Altobelli, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Payton Chester, Sarah Chester, Christina Mauser, and Ara Zobayan. 

Mayor Garcetti continued and said, "we don’t have that date finalized but we’ve been talking every day to the Lakers, and most importantly, to [Bryant’s widow, Vanessa] as well."

He then added, "I think one message that I would say is this is not just about a man who was a basketball player, this is about a father, this is about a leader, this is about a filmmaker, this is about an artist, this is about somebody who was so much more than just how he was on the court."

We hope that the other victims of the crash along with Kobe and Gianna rest in peace. Will you be attending a memorial for the victims of the crash? Let us know how you plan on honoring the late athletes and pass this to others so they can also mark the memorial date.