Kobe Bryant was a global icon. He was loved by fans all over the world, including people who solely started watching the NBA because of him. In 2016 he retired, leaving behind an illustrious career with multiple records, cementing his place as an all-time great in the sport.
That is why the whole world mourned on 26th January 2020. He has been immortalized through murals not just in his adopted city of Los Angeles but across the globe. The Tenement Visual Artists group in the Philippines created a huge mural of Kobe and his daughter Gianna on their court. “This is our tribute to them,” Eddie Barbuena, the Tenement basketball team’s coach, told ESPN. “We will always love you, Kobe Bryant.”
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Kobe Bryant honored in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Artist Deni Bozic, along with his team, painted a 39-foot high mural of Bryant at a school in Gradiška, a small city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It took the team almost two weeks to complete it. So far, it is the largest mural of Bryant in Europe. “We made our first basketball steps thanks to Kobe Bryant, so we decided to pay our respects to him in this way and emphasize the impact he left on the sport,” said Bozic.
The mural depicts Kobe at the free-throw line. Donning the famed gold jersey, he looks poised as ever. At the right corner, Bozic and his team also created the Black Mamba logo. “I am glad that in addition to the mural of Kobe Bryant, Gradiška has recently received several more murals. I hope that this will become a trend in other cities of our country as well,” Božić added.
Despite the country being hit by looting and vandalism, Bryant’s murals back home have remained untouched. Businesses, cars, walls, have been defaced by aggressive protestors. Neighborhoods in Los Angeles have been affected but it is incredible to see how Bryant is respected that despite being so angry with the situation nobody would dare touch these artworks.
