A mural of late NBA star Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna in Overbrook Park makes it look like the two are watching over a new basketball court built in their honor.
The addition to Tustin Playground was unveiled on Tuesday and Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, attended the event with her daughters, Natalia, Bianka and Capri. The tribunal was created through a partnership between the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation and Nancy Lieberman Charities.
Bryant, a record shooting guard, was killed in a helicopter crash in California in January 2020 along with Gianna and seven others. It was born in Philadelphia and grew up coming to the park, which is why his wife chose it for a memorial.
“I chose this place so that the young people of this community could have a safe space to play with equal opportunities, what was important to Kobe and Gianna“, said Vanessa in a Instagram post.
The pitch has “Kobe & Gianna Bryant” written in the half-court circle and Bryant’s No. 24 in a heart next to each foul line. It also features a purple and yellow color scheme in honor of the two decades Bryant spent with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The painting was done by Ernel Martinezan artist and educator who has worked on nearly 30 projects across the city with Mural Arts Philadelphia.
Bryant left Philadelphia as a young boy so his father, Joe, could play professional basketball in Italy. The family moved back to Montgomery County when he was a teenager, where he played basketball for the Lower Merion High School Aces from 1992 to 1996. He led the team to a PIAA Men’s Basketball State Championship in its senior year. Bryant’s wife wore her school letter jacket at the signing.
The basketball court is one of three Bryant’s wife has undertaken so far with the help of the two charities. The first Kobe & Gianna Bryant Dream Court opened in Anaheim, California last month.
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