Dallas Artist Completes Tribute To Kobe Bryant, Daughter Gianna At Fitness Center
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A local artist has completed his tribute to the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, at a fitness center in Dallas.
Artist Theo Ponchaveli finished a mural he had been painting to honor Bryant and his daughter, who both died in a helicopter crash in California Sunday morning along with seven others.
The mural is located at the SandersFit performance center on South Lamar Street. It's owned by former NBA player Melvin Sanders.
"Best player I've ever seen in the game. Everything he did for everybody, just a tough loss," Sanders said about Bryant.
Ponchaveli's work throughout Dallas includes a mural dedicated to the five officers killed in an ambush in July 2016. According to his website, he was also featured on the NFL Network for a mural he did when the NFL Draft was at AT&T Stadium in 2018.
He wanted to honor Bryant that best way he knew how -- through art.
"He was a retired athlete, so I wouldn't say a player in his prime but a father in his prime, a businessman, a philanthropist that impacted me a lot," Ponchaveli said.