It’s possible that the next time someone drives in front of Los Angeles’ Staples Center and peers up he or she may see a street sign that reads “Kobe Bryant Boulevard.”
It was announced on Monday, Aug. 24 — one day after what would’ve been Bryant’s 42nd birthday — that a street located in front of the Staples Center, where the Los Angeles Lakers play, will be named after the hoops legend.
Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven other people were killed in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 of this year.
“Figueroa St. will soon be Kobe Bryant Blvd. between Olympic & MLK,” tweeted Los Angeles City Councilman Herb J. Wesson. “Kobe’s legacy is bigger than basketball. Kobe Bryant Blvd will be a reminder to everyone, young and old who drive down it, there is no obstacle too big and that with the #Mambamentality anything is possible.”
BC News reports that the City Council is hoping to have “Kobe Bryant Boulevard” ready for a championship parade if the Lakers win the NBA Finals this season in Orlando, the league’s bubble location in Florida.
Bryant played for the Lakers his entire 20-year-career, racking up five championship rings before retiring in 2016.
The announcement of “Kobe Bryant Boulevard” comes shortly after Orange County named Aug. 24 “Kobe Bryant Day” as a way to honor him. Los Angeles named that same date “Kobe Bryant Day” in 2016. The date 8/24 was chosen because Bryant wore both of those numbers during his playing career.
He was also honored by the Lakers on Monday, as the team wore special jerseys to pay tribute to him and Gianna during their 135-115 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, taking a 3-1 lead in the first-round playoffs series.
Many were happy about the street renaming after it was announced and said it’s a perfect way to honor Bryant.
“Well done LA – #MambaMentality,” someone tweeted.
“This made my day,” a second person wrote.
Los Angeles City Councilman Curren Price also spoke of the street renaming and talked about what it will mean to the city.
“So when we drive down this stretch, we will forever be able to look up to Kobe Bryant Boulevard and feel him smiling down on us and the ever-lasting impact his life has had and will continue to have for generations to come,” he said Monday outside of the Staples Center.
