Mamba Mentality: Mural Of Kobe Bryant, Daughter Gianna Put Up In Stockton
STOCKTON (CBS13) — A memorial mural of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna has been put up in Stockton.
Bryant and his daughter were among nine killed in January in a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas. Now one month later, a pair of graffiti artists are putting their final touches on a tribute to the father and daughter in the heart of downtown Stockton.
With each stroke of color and each layer of paint, a brick wall was transformed into a destination for people seeking to honor the fallen NBA legend.
"This tribute is for Kobe and Gigi," artist Kone Kham Lathipanya said. "But it's also for all the crash victims."
Artist Daniel Paniagua said, "It's more of a community thing, you know, just to bring people together. Anybody could come, you know, people from Sacramento, people from L.A., wherever, it's all love over here."
The mural, which is located at American Street and Minor Avenue, shows images of Kobe and Gianna's faces with the words "Mamba Mentality" — Bryant's famous phrase emphasizing a rigorous pursuit of mastering one's passion.
"Kobe's death and his daughter's death really affected me because I have a daughter too and I'm a girl dad so I really felt what he was trying to instill in his kids," Lathipanya said.
As the mural nears completion, some families were already coming out taking photos of the new addition to downtown Stockton — a colorful tribute to a legend lost too soon.
"I think it's amazing," Amanda Kimball, Lakers fan, said. "It's a great piece of art, and I think it's nice way up here in Stockton to have something that we can come and just pay tribute to."
A memorial for the two is being held Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. (1 p.m. ET) at the Staples Center, the downtown arena where the basketball legend played for the bulk of his 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.