The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will honor Kobe Bryant’s legacy as a two-time Olympian, with the timing coinciding with his birthday month in August. Vanessa Bryant announced and revealed a new logo she designed for the Summer Games, inspired by her late husband, in a video released on Monday.
The new emblem for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics replaces the “A” in “Los Angeles” with a purple and yellow snakeskin design, featuring Kobe Bryant’s Mamba logo at the center.
“Kobe was the ultimate athlete, and he took his role as an Olympian very seriously,” Vanessa Bryant said. “He was so proud to represent our country, and he considered his two gold medals part of his proudest professional accomplishments. His dedication to sport transcended basketball. As a spectator, he especially loved to show up for his fellow athletes and take in the competition at the world’s highest level.”
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Vanessa Bryant reminisced about watching the Olympics with her family, and how important it was to Kobe Bryant that the Games be held in Los Angeles.
“And, of course, our family loves Los Angeles. So, when Kobe was approached to support the effort to bring the Games to L.A., he responded with an immediate, ‘Yes,’” she added. “Kobe was an important advocate in bringing the Games to Los Angeles.”
Kobe Bryant appears in a special segment, discussing why he was passionate about having the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“There’s so many icons that come from the city of Los Angeles, that live in the city of Los Angeles, in so many different fields that it makes complete sense to host the Olympics here because there’s so many things that you can do with the Olympic Games, to even elevate it to a higher level,” he shared in a black-and-white clip. “And to tell the beautiful journey and story of these athletes that are represented in these Olympic Games.”
“To have the Olympics here in a city where so many cultures are naturally represented would be a beautiful story to tell and a beautiful way to integrate the sport with the city,” he added.
Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi, along with seven others, tragically died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas on January 26, 2020.
Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Lakers unveiled the second of three statues dedicated to him outside Crypto.com Arena, depicting him with his daughter Gianna.
The statue unveiled outside Crypto.com Arena depicts Kobe Bryant and Gigi sitting courtside at a Lakers game in December 2019, just weeks before their deaths. The unveiling on August 2, 2024, holds special significance, as Kobe Bryant wore the numbers 8 and 24 during his Lakers career, while Gigi’s jersey number was 2.
The first statue honoring Kobe Bryant was similarly unveiled on February 8, 2024.
