Kobe Bryant bought postcards, autographed them for family who wanted to remember meeting him inside LA mall
As tributes for Kobe Bryant poured in following his tragic death in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, this past Sunday, one family has revealed how the basketball star had gone out of his way to give them autographs.
Taking to Facebook, Celeste Perez revealed about her family's chance interaction with Bryant at a Los Angeles-area entertainment and shopping center shortly after he was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996.
"My family came across him hanging out by himself at Universal City Walk," she revealed. "Wearing an all-white ensemble and a beret to top it off, Kobe looked like a lost member of Boyz II Men, looming tall over hundreds of CityWalk-goers."
She said that because no one seemed to recognize Bryant -- which will come as little surprise since this was long before the heady days where he won the Lakers multiple NBA championships and was crowned MVP -- they saw their chance to get up close to him and talk to him, and they did.
"I clearly remember his face lighting up when she [a family member] asked if he was Kobe Bryant," she shared. "He motioned for all of us to come over, and so we all did. Grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, babies — he greeted our entire family warmly, answering all of our questions."
Unfortunately, she explained, their camera had run out of film and no one in the vicinity had a pen or paper for an autograph. So, they improvised, and in "true Filipino fashion," invited him to dinner with them at the new Bubba Gump’s, an offer he kindly declined.
But that wasn't the end of the story. "Later, Kobe would track us down while we ate," she wrote. "He said he felt bad that we didn’t get a picture, so he’d bought some postcards from a kiosk and autographed them for us to take home. We passed them around in awe. I was fascinated by his penmanship. They were signed, in beautiful cursive: 'Kobe Bryant, #8'."
"I noticed he had other postcards that he’d practiced his signature on in his hand," she continued. "We must have been among the first to ask him for an autograph, I realize now. Kobe stayed for a little bit, and we promised we’d watch every one of his games as a Laker."
Perez paid tribute to the legendary basketballer and thanked him for inspiring not only them but the entire city of Los Angeles through his relentless dedication and never-say-die attitude.
"Kobe inspired so many of us, in my family and in this town," she said. "From him we learned to never be afraid to be the best, to demand excellence from yourself and those around you, and to commit yourself to your craft, your family, whatever it is you choose to create."
"Thank you, Kobe. Rest In Power."