Kobe Bryant’s wife Vanessa meticulously planning funeral so everyone gets a chance to mourn him
As a husband, he belonged to her, primarily. However, Vanessa Bryant thinks her husband Kobe Bryant was much bigger than what he was in her personal space. He was a great husband and father but as a basketball legend who inspired many, Bryant belonged to his thousands of followers. In his funeral, therefore, Vanessa won't deprive the fans of their chance to mourn their hero. She's been in constant touch with the urban authorities in Los Angeles to meticulously plan a funeral and memorial service for Kobe where everyone can remember him. This was revealed by L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, who said he's been discussing with Vanessa the particulars of the service as arrangements are being made.
No official announcement about the memorial service has been made. But a person with knowledge of the details told the Associated Press that the memorial service for Kobe, his daughter Gianna and the seven others killed in the crash has been planned for February 24 at Staples Center, .
The arena is where Kobe starred for the Los Angeles Lakers for most of his two-decade career and the date 2/24 corresponds with the No. 24 jersey he wore and the No. 2 worn by his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.
"We have been talking every day to the Lakers, and most importantly, to (Vanessa) as well," Garcetti told USA Today.
He said he agreed with Vanessa that the funeral should be such that it includes everyone so people can come out spontaneously. "We really want to listen to Vanessa, to the Lakers, and make sure that we have a chance and the right way to mourn together, as people have been doing spontaneously out on the streets," the mayor told ABC 7.
"Laying him to rest will be something for which we are ready to help support the family, however, wherever and whenever," the mayor went on to say and added that he hopes people know who Kobe was outside of being a basketball player. "I just hope that people realize that as great as he was inside Staples Center, we want to feel him outside Staples Center, too, and that's what we're going to do," Garcetti told ABC 7.
This comes after people have been asking for the funeral to be held at the Staples Center, the home of the L.A. Lakers. City authorities, however, had their eyes set on the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, as reported earlier.
As a memorial for Kobe was dismantled at the Staples Center, Vanessa had asked for some of the items from there. People came out in large numbers after his death on January 26 from a helicopter crash at the Calabasas which killed his daughter Gianna and seven others. They remembered their hero at the Staples Center and paid tributes to him. About 1,353 basketballs, 500 stuffed animals, 14 banners and 25,000 candles were left outside the arena, according to Lee Zeidman, the president of the Staples Center, reported The Sun (US).
Fans launched the memorial in a plaza outside the arena after the tragic crash, and it kept growing for a week. Most of the items would be made into mulch and spread around the landscaping.
A heartbroken Vanessa took to her Instagram to post emotional messages of remembrance about her husband and her teen daughter Gianna. Their bodies were released recently for burial and investigation is still on about the crash.