In an emotional tribute in front of 20, 000 friends and fans who gathered at the Staples Center, his wife, Vanessa Bryant said: “God knew they couldn’t be on this Earth without each other, he had to bring them home to have them together.”
Bryant, later described Gianna as “an amazingly sweet and gentle soul” who lit up every room she walked into. As she choked in tears, she spoke about how her daughter inherited her father’s fierce love and talent for basketball, and how she would never get to see Gianna become the trailblazer she was destined to be in the sports world.
NBA legend, Michael Jordan who was in tears likened their relationship to that of siblings.
“Kobe was my dear friend, he was like a little brother,” Jordan said at the memorial service. “When Kobe died, a little piece of me died.”
He said that Bryant would reach out to him all the time and at all hours of the night to talk about post-up moves or footwork. Jordan said at first it was an aggravation, but he recognized the passion that Bryant had for the game of basketball, Times reported.
“This kid had passion like you would never know,” Jordan said. “As I got to know him, I wanted to be the best big brother that I could be.”
In the presence of fans and celebrity friends who thronged the Staples Center, Beyonce and singer Alicia Keys performed during the two-hour ceremony.
Check out all the touching moments from the event below:
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 24: ALICIA KEYS PERFORMS DURING THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR KOBE & GIANNA BRYANT AT STAPLES CENTER ON FEBRUARY 24, 2020 IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. (PHOTO BY KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/GETTY IMAGES)
KOBE BRYANT’S LAKERS JERSEYS ARE DISPLAYED DURING THE “CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR KOBE AND GIANNA BRYANT” SERVICE AT STAPLES CENTER IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES ON FEBRUARY 24, 2020. – KOBE BRYANT, 41, AND 13-YEAR-OLD GIANNA WERE AMONG NINE PEOPLE KILLED IN A HELICOPTER CRASH IN THE RUGGED HILLS WEST OF LOS ANGELES ON JANUARY 26. (PHOTO BY FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP) (PHOTO BY FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 24: SHAQUILLE O’NEAL HUGS VANESSA BRYANT DURING THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR KOBE & GIANNA BRYANT AT STAPLES CENTER ON FEBRUARY 24, 2020 IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. (PHOTO BY KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/GETTY IMAGES) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 24: SHAQUILLE O’NEAL SPEAKS DURING THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR KOBE & GIANNA BRYANT AT STAPLES CENTER ON FEBRUARY 24, 2020 IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. (PHOTO BY KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/GETTY IMAGES) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 24: MICHAEL JORDAN SPEAKS DURING THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR KOBE & GIANNA BRYANT AT STAPLES CENTER ON FEBRUARY 24, 2020 IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. (PHOTO BY KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/GETTY IMAGES) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 24: SNOOP DOGG ATTENDS THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR KOBE & GIANNA BRYANT AT STAPLES CENTER ON FEBRUARY 24, 2020 IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. (PHOTO BY KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/GETTY IMAGES) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 24: KYRIE IRVING, DRAYSTEPHEN CURRY DURING THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR KOBE & GIANNA BRYANT AT STAPLES CENTER ON FEBRUARY 24, 2020 IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. (PHOTO BY KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/GETTY IMAGES) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 24: VANESSA BRYANT SPEAKS DURING THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR KOBE & GIANNA BRYANT AT STAPLES CENTER ON FEBRUARY 24, 2020 IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. (PHOTO BY KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/GETTY IMAGES) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 24: TV PERSONALITY JIMMY KIMMEL SPEAKS DURING THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR KOBE & GIANNA BRYANT AT STAPLES CENTER ON FEBRUARY 24, 2020 IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. (PHOTO BY KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/GETTY IMAGES) FANS ARRIVE TO ATTEND THE “CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR KOBE AND GIANNA BRYANT” SERVICE AT STAPLES CENTER IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES ON FEBRUARY 24, 2020. – KOBE BRYANT, 41, AND 13-YEAR-OLD GIANNA WERE AMONG NINE PEOPLE KILLED IN A HELICOPTER CRASH IN THE RUGGED HILLS WEST OF LOS ANGELES ON JANUARY 26. (PHOTO BY MARK RALSTON / AFP) (PHOTO BY MARK RALSTON/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES) FANS ARRIVE TO ATTEND THE “CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR KOBE AND GIANNA BRYANT” SERVICE AT STAPLES CENTER IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES ON FEBRUARY 24, 2020. – KOBE BRYANT, 41, AND 13-YEAR-OLD GIANNA WERE AMONG NINE PEOPLE KILLED IN A HELICOPTER CRASH IN THE RUGGED HILLS WEST OF LOS ANGELES ON JANUARY 26. (PHOTO BY MARK RALSTON / AFP) (PHOTO BY MARK RALSTON/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 24: MEMORABILIA IS SOLD AS PEOPLE WAIT IN LINE TO ATTEND THE ‘CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR KOBE AND GIANNA BRYANT’ MEMORIAL SERVICE AT STAPLES CENTER ON FEBRUARY 24, 2020 IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. LOS ANGELES LAKERS NBA STAR KOBE BRYANT, 41, AND HIS 13-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER GIANNA WERE KILLED ALONG WITH SEVEN OTHERS IN A HELICOPTER CRASH NEAR LOS ANGELES ON JANUARY 26. (PHOTO BY MARIO TAMA/GETTY IMAGES) Photo: BillboardPhoto: ForbesBeyonce at the Staple Center_Photo: Yahoo NewsPhoto: Sunrisereed
Touching pictures in a memorial program showed the basketball star with his wife and children_Photo: DailyMail
Photos of Kobe and Gianna flashed up on the screen inside the Staples Center, where 20,000 people gathered to pay tribute_Photo: Dailymail A number of sports stars and A-list celebrities were in the audience, including Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez (picture), who have been friends with Kobe and Vanessa for yearsBeyoncé was seated behind a teary Vanessa Bryant during the service Alicia Keys later performed Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata as silence fell over the emotional audience_Photo: Dailymail Christina Aguilera, the last performer at the celebration of life ceremony, sang a heartfelt version of Franz Schubert’s classic Ave Maria, all in Italian, with an orchestra behind her as well as dozens of red roses and white candles_Photo: Gettyimages Beyoncé’s husband Jay-Z is seen filing out of the arena after his wife brought down the house with her performance_Photo: Gettyimages
Novieku Babatunde Adeola
Novieku Babatunde Adeola is a content writer, entertainment journalist, freelance PR practitioner, and event engineer. His passion stems from the need to change the narrative in Africa and the diaspora. He has worked with several media organizations in Ghana.