I’m grateful to Vanessa and Bryant family for the opportunity to speak today. I would say good morning but it’s afternoon. Vanessa Bryant, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal were among the speakers in the sold-out tribute. I remember him saying, “These guys are playing checkers, and I’m out here playing chess.”Īnd I would say, “I guess so, Kobe, I don’t know how to play chess.” And believe me, Kobe was surely a gifted and intelligent student of the game. As we know, the Black Mamba’s legacy will be more than just being one of the greatest basketball players of all time. All of us were forever changed on January 26th. To Vanessa and the kids, Kobe’s parents, sisters and the families who lost a loved one on that tragic day, we grieve with you. Like all of you, I continue to be devastated by the loss of my friend, my little brother Kobe Bryant and my beautiful niece Gigi. But never, ever could I have imagined that I’d be here today speaking at his memorial. When I imagine speaking to a group of people about Kobe Bryant, I usually picture the context of his Hall of Fame induction or as a guest speaker at one of Kobe and Vanessa’s Foundation events. The emotions were almost too much for Maria Jimenez, who said it was “something to behold and cherish in our hearts.” Levester said it was a common experience to hear people share where they were when they heard the news. “Everybody was about to leave when the pastor says, everyone hold up, Kobe Bryant’s helicopter just crashed.” Altobelli, a longtime Orange Coast College baseball coach, and his wife, Keri, 46, and their daughter Alyssa also died in the helicopter crash. Pelinka had told the memorial crowd that he was in church when Bryant texted him about helping John Altobelli’s daughter get an internship while he was in the helicopter moments before it crashed.

Levester said Rob Pelinka, general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, captured Levester’s attention with Pelinka’s speech because it spoke to his own experience. Ly said it was obvious how much Bryant meant to Jordan and everyone else.Īnother attendee, Scott Levester of Long Beach, said he worked a youth basketball camp with Bryant in 2018 and knew the Lakers legend’s passion first-hand for the youth game. Michael Jordan was crying and I never knew how much he loved Kobe.” “For me the Michael Jordan tears and words were incredible. “You had to be here to experience it,” Ly said as he left his seat. John Ly, 35, of Arcadia, said he idolized Kobe Bryant from a young age and was especially moved by Michael Jordan’s speech. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)Īfter Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s public memorial in Staples Center, fans who attended the ceremony described the experience as something they’d always remember.

Mourning fans wait for the Staples Center doors to open for Bryant’s memorial.

Kobe and gigi memorial