Nike Marks Kobe Bryant’s Memorial Service With the Perfect Tribute | 22 Words

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.

After he left high school, he entered the NBA directly and went onto win 5 championships.

He was one of the world's best shooting guards.

Kobe Bryant made history on many occasions. His twenty-year career in the NBA saw him become the all-time leading scorer in Lakers history in 2010. At thirty-four years old, he also became the youngest player in league history to reach 30,000 career points. What an achievement.

However, in 2016, he retired.

After a string of injuries began taking their toll on his body, he decided it would be best to leave the game, though that didn't stop him from coaching and doing extra work on the side in order to aid the NBA.

He made sure he went out with a bang.

Who could ever forget that final game? The Lakers versus Utah Jazz. The latter team didn't stand a chance after seeing Kobe score sixty points in the game, which became a career highlight for the basketballer.

But last month, the world's heart was broken.

Kobe Bryant was tragically killed in a helicopter crash on Jan 26. The NBA star's private helicopter crashed in Calabasas at around 9:45 am local time, TMZ sports confirmed.

Kobe was known for opting to use a helicopter for travel...

But tragically, his private helicopter went down and a "fire broke out," TMZ reported.

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.

TMZ Sports reported that Gianna, aged thirteen, tragically died alongside her dad in the crash. It is thought that the father and daughter were on their way to the Mamba Academy for basketball practice, nearby Thousand Oaks.

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.

The clip, uploaded to Twitter, showed smoke emerging from the crash site as emergency services respond to the devastating incident.

The tragedy claimed the lives of 7 others...

All 9 of the passengers on board were confirmed to have died in the tragic crash.

The news has been hard for people to stomach.

Kobe really touched the hearts of so many people, so tributes for the star have been pouring in.

Barack Obama reiterated that Kobe was a "legend."

The two had a strong friendship as Kobe was an active Obama supporter and they both shared similar views on social issues.

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.

She wrote: "RIP Kobe, hero to many including my grandson, extraordinary athlete and always kind to me & my family. My deepest condolences to his family."

Kevin Hart was shocked by the news...

He said he only "just [seen] him." It really just proves how short life is.

But his pain got worse as he found out that Kobe's daughter was involved too...

The news was beyond heartbreaking.

And supermodel Gigi Hadid talked about her close relationship with the legend.

She also posted 2 photos to Instagram upon hearing the news about his daughter too.

Viola Davis was also amongst those who paid tribute to Kobe.

Kobe's family has just been hit with the worst news they could possibly have. No goodbyes. No final words. Devastating.

Amber Rose sent all of her love to Kobe's wife Vanessa Bryant.

As a mother and a wife, this is the most painful news to have received.

And a host of other sports personalities sent their condolences to the family.

Megan Rapinoe, a professional soccer player for the United States team tweeted about him.

And Usain Bolt too.

He attached a photograph of him and Kobe right before one of his races.

One of the most painful outcomes of this tragic accident is reflected in Kobe Bryant's last Instagram post.

He and LeBron James were two legends in the sport. And they helped build each other, celebrate their successes and support one another through difficult times.

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.

A video of the basketballer breaking down in tears surfaced and broke everyone's hearts. It is a devastating sight to see.

He penned a heartbreaking tribute to Kobe.

He took to Instagram to pay tribute to the basketball legend, whom he describes as his "brother." "I’m Not Ready but here I go. Man I sitting here trying to write something for this post but every time I try I begin crying again just thinking about you, niece Gigi and the friendship/bond/brotherhood we had," he began the post. 

"I literally just heard your voice Sunday morning."

"Didn’t think for one bit in a million years that would be the last conversation we’d have. WTF!! I’m heartbroken and devastated my brother!! "Man I love you big bro," he continued.

He truly poured his heart out.

"My heart goes to Vanessa and the kids. I promise you I’ll continue your legacy man! You mean so much to us all here especially #LakerNation and it’s my responsibility to put this shit on my back and keep it going!" "Please give me the strength from the heavens above and watch over me! I got US here!"

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.

And Michael Jordan was also amongst those paying tribute at the memorial tonight.

He delivered a tear-filled speech in honor of Kobe, who he describes as his "little brother."

"Kobe was my dear friend, he was like a little brother," he said. “Everyone always wanted to talk about the comparisons between he and I. I just wanted to talk about Kobe."

Jordan went on to explain how his and Kobe's tight-knit relationship evolved.

“All of us have brothers and sisters, little brothers, little sisters who for whatever reason tend to get in your stuff. Your closet, your shoes. Everything. He was a nuisance if I could say that word," Jordan said. “But that nuisance turned into love over a period of time. Just because of the admiration that they have for you. The questions, wanting to know every little detail."

He had tears streaming down his face throughout his entire heartfelt speech.

“I am inspired by what he’s done and what he’s shared with Vanessa and his kids. “When Kobe Bryant died a piece of me died."

And, following on from Jordan's emotional monologue...

The manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, Rob Pelinka, took to the stage.

Pelinka was one of Kobe's best friends...

So, quite understandably, he was obliged to make a speech at the memorial service last night.

But it also turns out...

That Pelinka was actually in contact with Kobe the morning of his untimely death, and that Kobe had texted him while he was in the helicopter.

And, in his speech, he revealed what the pair had spoken about just before the tragic accident.

While Kobe was in the doomed helicopter, he had been texting Pelinka about basketball internships.

He was talking to Pelinka in the minutes leading up to his death.

“It was just passed 9:30, Kobe texted back explaining his desire to help a friend of his to secure a baseball agency internship for one of his young daughters. Kobe vouched for the girl’s character, intellect and work ethic. He clearly wanted to champion a bright future for her."

And, wanting to help out his friend...

Pelinka replied right away with a set plan. "I text Kobe right back and said that I would get a plan in motion to help him get that done."

However, it would never happen.

Getting visibly emotional, Pelinka continued: "A handful of minutes later Kobe, Gianna, and 7 other beautiful souls ascended into heaven."

"Kobe’s last human act was heroic, he wanted to use his platform to shape a young girl’s future."

Pelinka continued: "The girl in that text chain, who he had wanted to help so badly, was Lexi Altobelli, the surviving daughter of coach John Altobelli who was also on the helicopter."

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."

The 2-minute video really struck a chord with fans.

Many praised Nike for their tribute.

"This was so simple yet so very powerful."

Watch the clip here:

Rest in peace, Kobe and Gianna.