Mourners across Southern California pay tribute to Kobe Bryant, who 'unified the city and state'
LOS ANGELES – As thousands gathered at Staples Center to attend a memorial for Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna on Monday, mourners throughout Southern California found numerous ways to pay their respects to the NBA icon.
Bryant, 41, and Gianna, 13, were among nine people killed when their helicopter slammed into a fog-shrouded Southern California hillside Jan. 26.
Monday's “Celebration of Life” drew long lines and a parade of sports and showbiz superstars to the basketball arena that's home to the Lakers, for which Bryant starred in a 20-year career.
With police telling those who didn't have tickets not to go to the Staples Center, public viewing was taking place in at least other three sites in the suburbs around Los Angeles.
About 20 miles southeast in Santa Ana, about 60 residents and others gathered at City Hall for a moment of silence and to watch the memorial together on a big screen. Santa Ana is the seat of Orange County, where Bryant and his daughter were buried. The county was also home to the other passengers who died along with them on the helicopter.
“It’s moments like these where it’s important to grieve together as a community,” council member Phil Bacerra said before opening the doors to the council chamber for the viewing. He read the names of all the victims of the crash.
Another council member, Vicente Sarmiento, took off a jacket to reveal a Lakers jersey underneath. Bryant “unified the city and state and he was ours — because he was from Orange County.”
Among the mourners were Natalie Flores, 49, and her mother Rosa Ponce, 68, of Santa Ana. Both were dressed in purple and gold, the Lakers' team colors.
“I love Kobe. I love the Lakers,” said Flores. “Everything he has done for the game, bettering himself, and his family.“
Flores said she and her mother had to attend the public gathering even though the ceremony is being shown on local TV.
“We are just here to mourn and grieve like everyone else,” Flores said. “It brings people together.”
Peter Katz, 73, said he came to honor Bryant as “a super genuine role model for people of color.”
“He was a young African American superstar who gave his life,” said Katz, president of the Communication Linkage Forum, a community group meant to bring the city’s diverse neighborhoods together.
In Lynwood, a blue-collar city about 10 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, the service was shown in a community basketball gymnasium.
Dozens filled the bleachers, including students brought in from two high schools, and two national chains donated pizza and coffee.
“Kobe has meant so much to all of us,” said Gary Hardy, president of Lynwood’s board of education, adding that the event brought the community together.
Among the students were Jewel Contreras and Leslie Ochoa, both 14 and in their first year at Firebaugh High School.
Contreras, wearing a #8 Bryant jersey, said she was inspired to hear about Gianna Bryant’s exploits on the court.
“We see how Kobe played and Gigi played and it makes us want to achieve a goal,” Contreras said.
Robert Alvarado, wife Guesna and their son and daughter are visiting from Galveston, Texas. When they couldn't get tickets to the memorial at Staples Center, they opted to watch it at the Lynwood gym “just be around the environment,” Robert said.
Rene Luna Iniestra said he's a local artist who has lived in Lynwood for about 50 years. He's so inspired by the outpouring of affection for Bryant that he's working on a portrait of him.
“This is the first time I have seen everyone with these feelings, no matter age or race,” he said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kobe Bryant: Southern California pays tribute to late Lakers star
