A public memorial was held yesterday, Monday, February 24, 2020.  This memorial was held at Staples Center to honor Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna Bryant, who was killed with seven others in a helicopter crash nearly one month ago.  Amongst those who spoke at the memorial were Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Rob Pelinka (current Lakers general manager and Kobes former agent), Sabrina Ionescu, and perhaps the most important, Vanessa Bryant.  Many like to think Kobe was looking after Sabrina that day as she went on to make basketball history.  Kobe lovingly named Sabrina the “White Mamba” because of her many accomplishments.  Just hours after speaking at Kobe and Gianna’s memorial, Sabrina went on to make NCAA history for both men and women’s basketball.  As of her game yesterday, she is the first player in NCAA men’s and women’s basketball history to reach 2,000+ points, 1,000+ assists, and 1,000+ career rebounds.  Another influential person that spoke at the memorial was Michael Jordan.

Jordan is a very accomplished basketball player with six NBA Finals MVP Awards, ten scoring titles, five MVP awards, ten All-NBA first-team designations, and more.  More than that, Michael Jordan was a close friend of Kobe Bryant.  Michael Jordan was in tears as he spoke in loving memory of Kobe and all the memories they shared together.  Michael said Kobe had a light in him that could put you in a good mood any time of any day.  Kobe was always joking or annoying Michael like a little brother and over time, that’s really what Kobe became to Michael, a brother.  The most moving speech was Vanessa Bryant’s.  Vanessa held a tissue in her hand throughout her whole speech to keep the tears at bay.  As Vanessa talked about her loved ones, there was not a dry eye at the memorial service.  The camera panned to Gabrielle Union, Jennifer Lopez, and Stephen Curry who all have daughters and were crying thinking about their little girls. Vanessa did a wonderful job talking about cherished memories with her daughter and Kobe.  She choked up several times, but the cheers and support from the crowd helped her continue on.  Overall, Vanessa’s touching speech encouraged listeners all over the country to hold their loved ones tight and never forget to cherish the moments you spend together.