Last night, thousands of people flocked to the Staples Center to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, following their tragic deaths last month.
Many famous faces made heartfelt tributes to the lives lost on board the doomed helicopter. Now, Nike have created a tribute of their own.
Keep scrolling to find out more...
For those of you that aren't aware, Kobe Bryant is a legend.
He was one of the world's best shooting guards.
However, in 2016, he retired.
He made sure he went out with a bang.
But last month, the world's heart was broken.
Kobe was known for opting to use a helicopter for travel...
During a press conference, it was confirmed there were no survivors.
And there were 9 bodies found at the scene.Tragically, Bryant's daughter, Gianna, was also on board the helicopter at the time of the crash.
This is utterly devastating news.
Kobe leaves behind his wife and their daughters - Natalia and Bianka, and their newborn, Capri.Heartbreaking footage quickly emerged showing the aftermath of the tragedy.
.@LACOFD helicopter over the scene . As air ops quickly told me it is a fire not sheriffs chopper hovering and now… https://t.co/I5VE1IaTao— Richard Winton (@Richard Winton)1580066118.0
The tragedy claimed the lives of 7 others...
The news has been hard for people to stomach.
Barack Obama reiterated that Kobe was a "legend."
Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act. To… https://t.co/YlRRr9ng7Q— Barack Obama (@Barack Obama)1580075776.0
In a slightly less empathetic way, Donald Trump also tweeted this:
Melania also sent her condolences.And Whoopi Goldberg also emphasized how much of a hero he was.
RIP Kobe, hero to many including my grandson, extraordinary athlete and always kind to me & my family. My deepest condolences to his family— Whoopi Goldberg (@Whoopi Goldberg)1580070506.0
Kevin Hart was shocked by the news...
This honestly doesn’t make sense....I just saw you man. This hurts my heart. God please place your hands on his fam… https://t.co/dqHSB8SA5F— Kevin Hart (@Kevin Hart)1580071349.0
But his pain got worse as he found out that Kobe's daughter was involved too...
I have no words...All I have is real tears....This is beyond heartbreaking...#prayingforthebryantfamily #RIPGianna… https://t.co/x9XRqhfUQa— Kevin Hart (@Kevin Hart)1580074717.0
And supermodel Gigi Hadid talked about her close relationship with the legend.
Being a fan of yours brought so much joy to my life, like so many. Love forever. Sending strength and my deepest co… https://t.co/RUVYpPgXKU— Gigi Hadid (@Gigi Hadid)1580070975.0
Viola Davis was also amongst those who paid tribute to Kobe.
My heart goes out to Vanessa. Completely devastating. I know how much he LOVED his family and children! Just devast… https://t.co/DFCoMQBN0I— Viola Davis (@Viola Davis)1580080611.0
Amber Rose sent all of her love to Kobe's wife Vanessa Bryant.
As a mother I’m so devastated for Vanessa, her Daughters and their family. I sat and thought about my life without… https://t.co/NLFgBF1K5I— Amber Rose (@Amber Rose)1580105964.0
And a host of other sports personalities sent their condolences to the family.
Heart going out to the Bryant family right now. ❤️. RIP @kobebryant— Megan Rapinoe (@Megan Rapinoe)1580069569.0
And Usain Bolt too.
Still can’t believe @kobebryant 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿 https://t.co/swscrtnFAx— Usain St. Leo Bolt (@Usain St. Leo Bolt)1580069894.0
One of the most painful outcomes of this tragic accident is reflected in Kobe Bryant's last Instagram post.
And just twenty-four hours before the incident, Kobe had congratulated LeBron.
LeBron James recently passed Kobe Bryant's career point marker and as a way to congratulate him, he dedicated a heartwarming post to the star player.So no wonder the news hit him extremely hard.
LeBron James emotional as he exits the Lakers team plane following news of Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s death. 💔😢 More… https://t.co/WRIM9Rhop0— Complex (@Complex)1580084220.0
He penned a heartbreaking tribute to Kobe.
"I literally just heard your voice Sunday morning."
He truly poured his heart out.
He then finished his touching tribute with a final message...
"There’s so much more I want to say but just can’t right now because I can’t get through it! Until we meet again my brother!!" There's no denying how devastated LeBron is by this tragic news.Kobe's wife, Vanessa, recently opened up about her tragic loss.
She penned a heart-wrenching Instagram post on Monday.Vanessa admitted how difficult coming to terms with her loss is.
"My brain refuses to accept that both Kobe and Gigi are gone. I can’t process both at the same time. It’s like I’m trying to process Kobe being gone but my body refuses to accept my Gigi will never come back to me," she wrote."It feels wrong."
"Why should I be able to wake up another day when my baby girl isn’t being able to have that opportunity?! I’m so mad. She had so much life to live." "Then I realize I need to be strong and be here for my 3 daughters. Mad I’m not with Kobe and Gigi but thankful I’m here with Natalia, Bianka and Capri."She continued:
"I know what I’m feeling is normal. It’s part of the grieving process. I just wanted to share in case there’s anyone out there that’s experienced a loss like this.""God I wish they were here and this nightmare would be over."
"Praying for all of the victims of this horrible tragedy. Please continue to pray for all."Two weeks after their tragic deaths, Kobe and Gianna Bryant were laid to rest.
Their private funeral was held on February 7th at the Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona Del Mar, California.The ceremony was reportedly "extremely hard for everyone."
"Vanessa and the family wanted a private service to mourn their loss," a source told ET. "The ceremony was extremely hard for everyone as it's still hard for them to grasp they lost two beautiful souls."As well as the private funeral, Vanessa revealed the finalized plans for a public memorial service for Kobe and Gianna.
The service was held last night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles where the star played basketball for the Lakers throughout his entire 2-decade career.Yesterday's date, 2/24/20 is a special date for the family.
They chose the 24th as it was the number Kobe sported since the 2006-07 season. But that's not the only significance.'2' is the number Gianna played in basketball.
And 20 is the number of years Kobe and Vanessa were together for as well as the number of years he played as a Laker.On Valentine's Day, Vanessa paid tribute.
Vanessa, understandably, is still in mourning for her late husband and daughter, and last night she paid tribute to Kobe on Valentine's Day.It was his favorite holiday.
On his favorite holiday of the entire year, Vanessa called Kobe her forever Valentine.She wrote:
"To my forever Valentine, I love you so much. Missing you so much on your favorite holiday. I love you forever. Kisses to you and Gigi in heaven. Happy Valentine's Day, my babies. With all my love, your boo-boo."She shared a photo.
Posting a romantic picture of herself and Kobe, she accompanied the pic with the song "Tell Him" by Ms. Lauryn Hill.And last night's memorial proved to be as emotional as expected...
With millions of people around the world watching the memorial at The Staples Center, gathering outside the venue, or via live streams.Vanessa delivered an incredibly moving speech.
"God knew they couldn't be on this earth without each other." #KobeFarewell 💜💛 https://t.co/ZqHCz2SNrs— Entertainment Tonight (@Entertainment Tonight)1582572530.0
He delivered a tear-filled speech in honor of Kobe, who he describes as his "little brother."
Jordan went on to explain how his and Kobe's tight-knit relationship evolved.
He had tears streaming down his face throughout his entire heartfelt speech.
And, following on from Jordan's emotional monologue...
Pelinka was one of Kobe's best friends...
But it also turns out...
And, in his speech, he revealed what the pair had spoken about just before the tragic accident.
He was talking to Pelinka in the minutes leading up to his death.
And, wanting to help out his friend...
However, it would never happen.
"Kobe’s last human act was heroic, he wanted to use his platform to shape a young girl’s future."
Following the emotional memorial, Nike have created a touching tribute of their own.
The sportswear giant, who was Kobe's longtime sponsor, posted the simple yet poignant tribute on Twitter. Keep scrolling to take a look.And it's solicited some strong reactions online.
Created entirely with audio, the tribute has been capturing the hearts of fans across the world."i didn’t think my heart could hurt more, but this is beautiful."
@Nike Me: I'm feeling good today. There couldn't be anything to make me cry today. Nike releases this vid... Me: https://t.co/XIk14Jt8ae— ryan.tanner {design | dodgers | lakers | moto x} (@ryan.tanner {design | dodgers | lakers | moto x})1582567556.0
Many praised Nike for their tribute.
@Nike That was beautiful— BALL DAWGS (@BALL DAWGS)1582579820.0
Watch the clip here:
Mamba Forever. (sound on) https://t.co/B2LUIcpRCc— Nike (@Nike)1582567205.0