Fury as LA mural dedicated to Kobe Bryant and daughter Gigi is vandalized
Vandals have sparked fury in Los Angeles after a mural paying tribute to basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi was defaced.
Shocking before and after footage shared to Instagram by @Kobemural showed the striking mural had been ruined by the senseless act.
In a GoFundMe set up to pay for repairs, it was noted that the mural was painted as a special collaboration with the NFL for Superbowl LVI.
'The beautiful Kobe & Gigi mural that has brought inspiration and unity to so many,' the fundraiser said.
'The Kobe & Gigi mural holds a special place in our hearts, symbolizing strength, legacy, and love.'
The mural had shown Bryant in his LA Lakers jersey kissing his daughter Gigi as she held a basketball, with the words 'Mambas Forever' painted to the side.
Shoddy graffiti now covers the father and daughter after vandals spray painted large white letters over the colorful mural.
Social media reacted with fury after the vandalism was discovered, with one X user branding the perpetrator a 'piece of s***' who is 'the definition of rotten souls.'
The mural is one of several that are dotted around Los Angeles, many of which were designed after the longtime Lakers player died in a helicopter crash with Gigi in January 2020
Others said on social media that the vandalism stunt was 'stupid' and was disappointing to see given Kobe's place in California's sporting history.
'Wow that's disrespectful,' one said.
Another user questioned: 'Who would do something like this?'
The mural is one of several that are dotted around Los Angeles, many of which were designed after the longtime Lakers player died in a helicopter crash with Gigi in January 2020.
Seven others were killed when the helicopter crashed in the Calabasas hills.
Gianna, known as Gigi, was just 13 years old when she was killed alongside her father and all seven others on board the helicopter, which crashed in the Calabasas hills. They were: John Altobelli, 56; Keri Altobelli, 46; Alyssa Altobelli,13; Christina Mauser, 38, Sarah Chester; Payton Chester; and pilot Ara Zobayan, 50
It was later revealed that Zobayan was warned he was 'too low' as he flew through thick fog moments before slamming into the side of the hills.
They had flown from John Wayne Airport near Kobe's home in Newport Beach and were on their way to Thousand Oaks to Bryant's Mamba Basketball Academy when they crashed.
January 2025 marked the five-year anniversary of the tragedy, as figures from across the sports and entertainment worlds paid tribute to Kobe and his daughter.
'I think the world actually stood still for a moment,' Elissa Grabow, a former assistant of Kobe's, said on the CNN documentary 'Kobe: The Making of a Legend,' via People.
'I cried all day, all night,' added former NBA star Tracy McGrady. 'I couldn't believe it... not Kobe... not Kobe.'
A public memorial service for Kobe and Gianna was held eloquently on February 24, with the date marking Kobe's iconic shirt number.
'Kobe had a very, very, very special relationship with my kids,' said sports journalist Scoop Jackson. 'The thing that got me, that was hardest for me, was telling them. Yeah, I've done some hard s*** in my life but that was one of the most difficult ones.'
WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes 'immediately thought of Vanessa' upon hearing the news.
'Because as a parent, and as a wife, but as a parent, you never think you're going to lose your child,' Swoopes added.
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