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Rest In Power: America Says Goodbye To NBA Legend Kobe Bryant At Public Memorial

By A. Woods, NewsOne

Monday was a solemn day for many, as those who loved, admired and revered legendary NBA star, Kobe Bryant, attended the public memorial for him and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who died in a helicopter crash along with seven others in Calabasas, California on Jan. 26. The memorial was held at the Staples Center, where Kobe played as a Los Angeles Laker for his entire 20-year NBA career. Kobe and Gianna were buried in a private ceremony with family earlier this month, but a public memorial was orchestrated for the millions who loved them both.

The date of Feb. 24 was significant as it was likely selected to match the retired jersey number that Bryant wore as a member of the Lakers. Twenty-four was also the number of years that he called Los Angeles home after being drafted straight out of high school to the NBA in 1996. Two is also the jersey number that Gianna wore and 20 is the number of years that Kobe and Vanessa have been married. The memorial was also going to be taking place during Black History Month, a fact that was not insignificant.

On Monday, Kobe’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, filed a lawsuit against the owner of the helicopter that crashed, killing her husband and their daughter, Gianna, according to ESPN. The wrongful death lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles, said that the pilot Ara Zobayan “was careless and negligent by flying in cloudy conditions on Jan. 26 and should have aborted the flight.”

The lawsuit, which contains 27 counts, is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. The complaint also said that the pilot was “negligent in eight different ways, including failing to properly assess the weather, flying into conditions he wasn’t cleared for and failing to control the helicopter,” according to the report.

The lawsuit was filed as the public memorial for Kobe, Gianna and the seven others who also died in the helicopter crash, was being held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Scroll down to see images from Monday’s memorial and Kobe and Gianna Bryant.

Vanessa Bryant’s full speech

https://youtu.be/ccqNVAqDsD8

https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1232013672395857922?s=20

https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1232025179439562752?s=20

https://twitter.com/B24PT/status/1232036453745602562?s=20

https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1232040715770716161?s=20

Watch the full memorial service

https://youtu.be/_BjtNllgP90

This article originally appeared on NewsOne.

 

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