Every Aug. 24, Los Angeles celebrates the life and career of late-Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
The date pays homage to Bryant’s numbers 8 and 24. The “Black Mamba” wore the two numbers during his 20-year Hall of Fame career.
Various NBA legends took to social media to honor the day.
“Today is 8/24 – these numbers will forever remind us of Kobe Bryant,” tweeted Kareen Abdul-Jabbar. “We lost a great friend, but he left us with some amazing memories. This is one of my favorites on why Kobe was a champion.”
Former Lakers’ teammate Shaquille O’Neal honored Bryant with a photo of him adorned with a pair of angel wings.
“Miss u big man,” Shaq tweeted.
Good friend and teammate Pau Gasol posted a photo of the pair high-fiving along with a simple “8/24.”
“This was a bucket, bean stance was too open and gave me a hook shot going middle,” tweeted Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant. “Miss you my boy!”
At sunset, the Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier will be lit up with the numbers 8 and 24 in the Lakers’ signature colors of purple and gold.
“It’s been in Ohio as early as the mid-1850s at least, brought in as an ornamental plant because of its unique foliage and white flowers,” Gardner said. “It was actually planted in people’s landscaping, and it has been spreading.”
A new mural is set to be unveiled at the offices of the West Coast Trial Lawyers on South Hope Street near 12th Street in Downtown L.A.
There are various murals all over the region that honor the life and legacy of Bryant, along with his daughter, Gianna. To find one near you, head here.
The father and daughter, along with seven others, died in a helicopter crash in January 2020 in Calabasas.