Several hundred people gathered on the field and in seats at the Championship Soccer Stadium within the Orange County Great Park in Irvine on Feb. 24 to celebrate the life and legacy of Kobe and Gianna Bryant and seven other county residents who perished in a helicopter accident in late January.
Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, FivePoint and the City of Irvine co-hosted a live broadcast of the memorial from Staples Center in Los Angeles on the large scoreboard screen at the soccer stadium. While many of the attendees were from local communities, some visitors traveled from faraway places like Georgia and Alabama to watch the memorial and be in the company of others who shared their love for Bryant. As the memorial played, OC-based artist Tom Clark painted a mural in memory of Kobe and Gianna Bryant to mark the moment. The colorful 4’x8’ mural was donated to the City of Irvine by FivePoint for public display.
The nine individuals who lost their lives in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 were all from Orange County – NBA legend and Mamba Sports Foundation co-founder Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna; Alyssa, John and Keri Altobelli; Payton and Sarah Chester; Christina Mauser; and Ara Zobayan.
Read a recap of the memorial at Orange County Great Park here.