- Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, died Sunday in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
- Fans gathered at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Sunday to pay respects to the former Los Angeles Lakers star.
- Bryant’s two retired Lakers jerseys are lit up inside the Staples Center in his honor during the 62nd annual Grammys.
Kobe Bryant’s retired Los Angeles Lakers jerseys are lit up and on display inside the Staples Center at the Grammys on Sunday evening in Los Angeles.
The 41-year-old basketball icon died Sunday in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
Both Entertainment Weekly’s Sarah Rodman and The Hollywood Reporter’s Kirsten Chuba shared photos on Twitter from inside the Staples Center, where the 62nd annual Grammys took place on Sunday night.
Inside Staples now. Kobe's retired jerseys uncovered and lit in his honor. #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/d0HSbDuAc4
— Sarah Rodman (@SarahARodman) January 27, 2020
Through Bryant’s 20-year basketball career from 1996 to 2016, the shooting guard wore the numbers eight and 24.
Here's a high-res photo of the jerseys hanging inside the center:
The jerseys can be seen lit up above section 307 of the Staples Center as guests were getting seated at the 2020 Grammys.
Ahead of the Grammys, fans gathered outside the Staples Center, the home of the Los Angeles Lakers, to pay their respects to Bryant.
Bryant's face was seen on the monitors outside the Staples Center and fans crowded around a makeshift memorial with flowers, candles, and drawings of the basketball player.
The 62nd annual Grammys opened with tributes to Bryant from Lizzo, host Alicia Keys, and Boyz II Men. More are planned throughout the evening.
In a press conference Sunday afternoon, Los Angeles sheriff Alex Villanueva said a total of nine people died in the helicopter crash that killed Bryant. His 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was among the passengers on board.
According to TMZ, Bryant and his daughter were heading to a basketball practice at the Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks, California.
Read more:
- Kobe Bryant was famous for using his Sikorsky S-76 private helicopter, a type that has a strong safety record
- Gianna 'Gigi' Bryant, Kobe Bryant's daughter, also died in the tragic helicopter accident
- Kobe Bryant: How the Black Mamba makes and spends his millions
- 11 of Kobe Bryant’s most inspirational quotes
- LeBron James was seen grieving outside of Lakers’ team plane after Kobe Bryant’s death