Feb. 24, 2020.
That will be the date of a memorial that will take place for Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant and the seven other people who were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on Jan. 26.
The memorial will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the same place that Bryant helped to make famous as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, who he played with for 20 seasons.
Reportedly, the date of the memorial, 2/24, was selected to honor Kobe and Gianna because 24 is one of the numbers the hoops legend wore, and his daughter wore No. 2 when she played.
Fans of Kobe have been gathering at the Staples Center since his death made headlines, and people left flowers, stuffed animals, jerseys, basketballs and balloons.
The process of removing the items began on Monday, Feb. 3, and Kobe’s wife Vanessa Bryant said she wants to keep all of the non-perishables. It’s been said the flowers will be turned into fertilizer for the plants around the Staples Center.
The others who were on the helicopter with Kobe and Gianna are John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Payton Chester, Sarah Chester, Christina Mauser and the pilot Ara Zobayan.
There will be a memorial held for John Altobelli and his wife and daughter at nearby Anaheim’s Angel Stadium on Monday, Feb. 10. John coached the Orange Coast College baseball team for almost 30 years.
As for the Staples Center, the rapper Nipsey Hussle‘s memorial took place there after he was shot and killed on March 31, 2019.
Michael Jackson, who passed away in June of 2009, also had a memorial at the famed arena, which took place on July 7, 2009.
