LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles will host a public memorial on Feb 24 at Staples Center for NBA icon Kobe Bryant and eight others killed last month in a helicopter crash, US media reported.
The Los Angeles Times, citing two unnamed sources, and CNN, citing a source close to the Bryant family, were among the outlets reporting the event, which had not been officially announced.
The Los Angeles Lakers – the club where Bryant starred for 20 seasons – Staples Center, and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office did not immediately confirm the event was planned.
The “2-24” date would carry some symbolism – Bryant wore the No. 24 jersey in the later stages of his career and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who also died in the crash, wore No. 2 for her school basketball team.
Gianna’s teammates Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester, Alyssa’s parents John and Keri Altobelli, Payton’s mother Sarah Chester, basketball coach Christina Mauser and pilot Ara Zobayan also died in the Jan 26 crash, the cause of which remains under investigation.