LOS ANGELES — In less than 24 hours after a helicopter crash that killed nine people including NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, a mural of the Bryants popped up in Los Angeles.
According to ABC station KGO, the mural dedicated to the father and daughter duo went up in the Mid-City neighborhood of Los Angeles. It shows the two of them smiling with a banner "Kobe & Gigi. Forever daddy's girl."
Byrant, 41, was the father to four daughters. It was Gianna, though, who wanted to follow her father's lead and she had plans to play basketball at the University of Connecticut and head to the WNBA. Everyone who witnessed her on the court saw play and tenacity that looked like her father's.
The helicopter crashed on its journey from Bryant's Newport Park home to the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks where he hosted basketball clinics, according to ABC News. Gianna's basketball team was supposed to play in the Mamba Cup on Sunday, a youth basketball tournament.
During Bryant's 20-year career in the NBA, he only played for the Los Angeles Lakers, and he had an incredible impact on the city.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said a statement that Kobe was a "giant who inspired, amazed and thrilled people everywhere with his incomparable skill on the court -- and awed us with his intellect and humility as father, husband, creative genius and ambassador for the game he loved.
"Kobe will live forever in the heart of Los Angeles, and will be remembered through the ages as one of our greatest heroes."
The other people aboard the helicopter were John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli. John Altobelli was a college baseball coach and his daughter Alyssa played basketball with Gianna. Christina Mauser was a girls' basketball coach. Payton Chester, another teammate, and her mother Sarah were on board. And the pilot was Ara Zobayan. There were no survivors in the crash.
The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.
More stories on 13 ON YOUR SIDE:
RELATED VIDEO:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
