There is no doubt that Kobe Bryant will forever be one of the most iconic athletes in the world, but there is a special connection that the Los Angeles Lakers’ legend had with the fans throughout Southern California. As such, his tragic death sparked a number of artists to paint murals all around the area in honor of him and his daughter Gianna Bryant.
For most, these murals are sacred and untouchable as Kobe meant that much to so many people, but there are some who think otherwise. Unfortunately, someone decided to cover a mural honoring Kobe and Gigi with graffiti, desecrating the beautiful piece, via ABC 7:
Who would destroy a beloved downtown L.A. mural of Kobe and Gigi Bryant? Neighbors horrified to discover the mini landmark covered in graffiti and obscenities. The search for the vandals, plus the push to restore the tagged-up tribute. This morning at 6 from ABC7. pic.twitter.com/OeT7a4d4Wb
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) April 29, 2025
It is disgusting that someone would do something like this to a piece meant to remember a legend like Kobe. It is pure and innocent and is simply meant to spread love and peace throughout the area. Not to mention the piece itself, showing Kobe kissing a young Gigi on the cheek, is absolutely beautiful.
Thankfully, some in the community are already working towards raising the funds to restore the mural as Louie Palsino started a GoFundMe. And the top donor on the fundraiser is none other than current Lakers superstar Luka Doncic, who donated $5,000 to the cause.
Of course, one of the last memorable moments we saw from Kobe came when he trash talked Luka in Slovenian during a game between the Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks which he and Gigi attended. In fact, the statue of Kobe and Gigi that sits outside of Crypto.com Arena is based off an image from that contest and Doncic has spoken about how much Bryant meant to him so it is great to see him helping out to this cause.
Sasha Vujacic compares Lakers superstar Luka Doncic to Kobe Bryant
One person who has a link to both Kobe Bryant and Luka Doncic is Sasha Vujacic. He hails from Slovenia like Luka and was a teammate of Kobe’s on the Lakers from 2004-to-2011. And Vujacic admitted that he sees some similarities between the two.
Vujacic recently said that watching Doncic reminds him of Bryant in some ways, noting their high IQ, but most importantly, the killer instinct they both have when they smell blood from their opponents.
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