Murals of Kobe Bryant Remain Untouched Despite Absolute Turmoil in Los Angeles

Los Angeles and its love for Kobe Bryant will never change. He has been immortalized in murals across the city. After coming in as an 18-year-old from Philadelphia, Kobe played out his entire career with the Lakers, going down as arguably the greatest Laker of all time.

A few days ago, George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis by policemen in an act of racism and police brutality. Since then the whole country, including Los Angeles, has been in unrest. Protests have broken out throughout the country, both peaceful and violent. Vandalism and looting have torn down cities with unrest.

Thousands of protestors had been marched in and gathered near the City Hall. Due to that, the National Guard troops had to come in to intervene and attempt to restore order. Meanwhile chants of “I can’t breathe,” “No justice, no peace,” “Black lives matter’” and “George Floyd, George Floyd” could be heard, directed at the police and the National Guard.

Despite all this turmoil in the city, the Kobe Bryant murals remained untouched.

Kobe Bryant: A Los Angeles Icon

After being picked 13th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft, Kobe became the first guard to be directly drafted from high school. He formed an unstoppable duo with Shaquille O’Neal. Together, they propelled the Lakers to a three-peat, asserting their dominance in the league.

However, his feud with Shaq reached its boiling point. Subsequently, the Diesel was shipped off to Miami. Kobe stayed on and went on to get back-to-back rings in 2009 and 2010. With that, he cemented his place among the best of all-time in the history of the league.

He spent 20 years at the Staples Center, which is the record (tied) for most seasons played with one franchise. With both No. 8 and No. 24 on the rafters, he is the only NBA player to have had multiple jerseys retired by a single franchise.

Citizens of Los Angeles gathered in the Staples after his death. The whole city came to a standstill when Kobe passed away. Kobe Bryant may not be here now, but his love affair with his adopted hometown will forever live on. Los Angeles will never forget the Black Mamba. The murals are certainly an embodiment of the city’s attachment to him. Nobody would dare to defy it.