A prominent mural showing late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, has been saved by the makers of a popular basketball video game.
The mural outside Hardcore Fitness at 400 W. Pico Blvd. was in danger after the building’s owner reportedly demanding it be removed, but Ronnie Singh, better known as “NBA 2K” digital marketing director Ronnie 2K, said Monday that the artwork will be preserved.
As noted on USA Today’s LeBron Wire, artist Sloe Motions’ mural is only about a half mile away from Crypto.com Arena.
“The popular mural of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, located at 400 W. Pico Blvd in downtown Los Angeles will be re-dedicated this week and stay up thanks to a pledge by NBA 2K,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Bryant is prominently featured in this year’s iteration of “NBA 2K,” which allows gamers to “take control of one of the greatest players of all time and recreate some of his most memorable games in MAMBA MOMENTS™ mode, a new immersive mode that retells his legendary career.”
That commemoration also has to extend to “real life,” Ronnie 2K told ESPN’s “NBA Today,” thus the desire to save the mural.
“We need to … let fans continue to celebrate these two amazing human beings,” he said.