The 9 most moving moments at the memorial for Kobe and Gigi Bryant
- A public memorial was held at the Staples Center on Monday to honor Kobe and Gianna Bryant and the seven others who died in a helicopter crash on January 26.
- The event, which was held on 2/24 a tribute to Gigi's and Kobe's respective jersey numbers, featured musical tributes, speeches from friends and former teammates, and a eulogy from Vanessa Bryant, Kobe's wife and Gigi's mom.
- Here are nine moving moments from the memorial to Kobe and Gigi.
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Vanessa's paid tribute to her husband.
"He was my everything," Vanessa said of Kobe. She described not a celebrity nor a basketball icon, but the her "sweet husband."
Vanessa described her relationship with Bryant and the bond they shared.
"I was his first girlfriend, his first love, his wife, his best friend, his confidante, and his protector," she said. "He was the most amazing husband. Kobe loved me more than I could ever express or put into words ... He would do anything for me. I have no idea how I deserved a man that loved and wanted me more than Kobe."
She said she hoped the two would grow old together.
Jimmy Kimmel cried as he spoke about the nine people who died in the crash.
"This is a sad day, but it is also a celebration of life," Kimmel said.
The late-night show host had the crowd in tears as he honored Bryant, Gigi, and the other seven people who were killed in a helicopter crash on January 26.
'She was so full of life and had so much more to offer the world,' Vanessa Bryant said of her daughter Gigi.
Vanessa spoke about how she wouldn't be able to see Gigi grow up and accomplish great things, her daughter's love for basketball, and her commitment to change the perception of woman in sports.
"She was a beautiful, kind, happy, silly, thoughtful and loving daughter and sister," Vanessa said.
Beyonce sang one of Kobe's favorite songs.
Beyonce opened the memorial with one of Bryant's favorite songs.
The singer asked the crowd to join her as she sang a rendition of XO, from her 2013 album, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Rob Pelinka, the Lakers' general manager, spoke on his friendship with Kobe and being a #girldad.
Pelinka began his speech by asking if the crowd remembered where the were on the day the helicopter crash describing it as "when the axis of the world seemed to shift forever for all of us?"
The Lakers manager spoke on how he was texting Kobe before the crash, and how despite wanting to put the phone, he felt a "nudge" to reply.
Kobe was texting him for help to secure an internship for Lexi Altobelli, whose dad Orange Coast College Coach John Altobelli, mom Keri Altobelli, and sister Alyssa Altobelli, also died in the crash.
"He wanted to use his platform to bless and shape a young girls future," Pelinka said.
Rob Pelinka, Lakers GM and Kobe Bryant's former agent, said he received a text from Bryant shortly before his helicopter crashed #KobeFarewell https://t.co/ww51ZxTqzn pic.twitter.com/6KcJB3UNtW
— Variety (@Variety) February 24, 2020Phoenix Mercury player Diana Taurasi also spoke about Kobe and Gigi.
Diana Taurasi, also known as White Mamba not only spoke on how Bryant inspired her but also her interactions with Gigi.
The Phoenix Mercury player reminisced on watching Kobe play for the Lakers when she was starting her own career in college.
"He made it okay to play with an edge that border lined crazy," Taurasi said. "Early onset Mamba mentality was in full effect," She said.
She spoke on the passion and skill she saw in Gigi.
"The same passion we saw in Kobe, obviously Gigi inherited," she said.
💜💜💜#KobeFarewell pic.twitter.com/dYlujqjAPU
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) February 24, 2020Alicia Keys performed 'Moonlight Sonata.'
Keys also performed a favorite song of Kobe and Vanessa. Images of the couple were shown on the jumbotron, as Keys played Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" on the piano.
Keys also paid tribute to Kobe when she hosted the Grammys this year, which fell on the same day as the helicopter crash.
NBA legend Michael Jordan jokes about his crying meme while giving a tearful speech.
In the midst of a heartfelt eulogy to the icon basketball player, Jordan laughed that he'll end up as another crying meme.
"Now he's got me — I'll have to look at another crying meme for the next —," Jordan said with tears streaming down his face, before getting cut off by laughs and applause. "I told my wife I wasn't going to do this because I didn't want to see this for the next three or four years. That is what Kobe Bryant does to me."
“As I got to know him, I wanted to be the best big brother that I could be.”
Michael Jordan on Kobe Bryant. pic.twitter.com/dTSp7VDosP
Shaquille O'Neal gets the crowd laughing with Kobe memories.
Shaq began his speech by saying he never imagined he would speaking at Kobe's memorial.
"It pains me to my core," he said.
The two won three consecutive NBA championships together and O'Neill acknowledged their complicated relationship. He said he was grieving for his "brother."
He reminisced on the many interactions they had together.
The crowd erupted in laughter when O'Neill told the story of a time when other players complained that Kobe wasn't passing the ball. O'Neill said he told him "Kobe, there's no 'I' in team," to which Bryant replied "I know but there is an 'm' 'e' in that motherf-----"
- Read more:
- 'When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died': Michael Jordan remembers fellow NBA legend Kobe Bryant like a 'little brother'
- Michael Jordan provided a moment of levity at the memorial service for Kobe and Gigi Bryant: 'Now he's got me — I'll have to look at another crying meme'
- 'He was my everything': Vanessa Bryant said she and Kobe had 'hoped to grow old together' in a tearful eulogy to her late husband
- 'She was so full of life': Vanessa Bryant laments not being able to watch her daughter grow up at the memorial for Gianna and Kobe