Staples Center to host public memorial for Kobe and Gianna Bryant, 7 other helicopter crash victims

Staples Center to host public memorial for Kobe Bryant

Staples Center will be the site of another extremely emotional memorial service. Multiple reports say a public memorial will be held there for Kobe Bryant. his daughter and seven other victims killed in January's helicopter crash in Calabasas.

LOS ANGELES - A public memorial for Kobe and Gianna Bryant, along with the seven other victims who died in a helicopter crash on a mountainside in Calabasas, will be held at Staples Center on Feb. 24.

The celebration of life will begin at 10 a.m., Vanessa Bryant announced Friday morning.

On the morning of Jan. 26, Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, John Altobelli, along with his wife Keri and their daughter Alyssa, Sarah and Payton Chester, and youth basketball coach Christina Mauser were aboard a helicopter flown by an experienced pilot, Ara Zobayan. The flight originated from Orange County's John Wayne Airport and was set to land at Mamba Sports Academy in the Thousand Oaks area.

Gianna, Alyssa and Payton were all teammates for the Los Angeles Lady Mambas, a girls' basketball team coached by retired NBA legend Kobe Bryant.

A separate memorial service for the Altobelli family will be held Monday at Angel Stadium beginning at 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Officials say the luxury helicopter crashed at 9:47 a.m. in Calabasas shortly after circling in the San Fernando Valley on that foggy Sunday morning, killing all nine on board.

Thousands of fans gathered at Staples Center, also known as "The House that Kobe Bryant Built," the night of the crash.

The arena was hosting the Grammys award show that night and music stars paid tribute to Bryant throughout the ceremony.

Grieving fans continued to build a makeshift memorial outside Staples Center before the memorial was dismantled Monday night.

The Los Angeles Lakers hosted their first game at Staples Center Friday night after their Feb. 4 game against the Los Angeles Clippers was postponed.

LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers and teammates look on during the pregame ceremony to honor Kobe Bryant before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center on January 31, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

The emotional night was filled with moments honoring Bryant, who played for the Lakers his entire 20-year NBA career.