Here's How To Purchase Tickets For Kobe's and Gianna's Memorial
The Lakers released information Friday on how to purchase tickets to attend 'A celebration of life for Kobe and Gianna Bryant' at Staples Center on Feb. 24 at 10 a.m.
Bryant, a five-time champion with the Lakers, and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 along with seven other people.
Here's how to buy tickets to their public memorial, per the Lakers:
- Starting today, Friday, February 14 at 11am PT through Monday, February 17 at 10pm PT fans may register to purchase tickets at https://verifiedfan.ticketmaster.com/kobeandgianna. No purchase is necessary to register.
- On the evening of Tuesday, February 18, fans will be notified if they’ve been verified and whether they’ve also been invited to participate in the public ticket release. Those invited to participate will receive a unique access code and link to access the sale.
- If demand for tickets from verified fans exceeds supply, fans will be selected at random to participate in the public sale.
- On Wednesday, February 19 at 10am PT tickets will be released for public sale. Fans with personal access codes will have access to purchase available tickets.
- Tickets will be priced at $224 each, 2 for $224 and $24.02 each.
Proceeds from the memorial will go to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation. According to the website, the foundation "aims to develop learning skills, enhancing character traits, and expanding personal values that ultimately empower and inspire self-confidence."
During the memorial, fans without tickets will not be able to access Staples Center, L.A. Live or adjacent streets. The memorial won't be shown on any video screens outside of Staples Center or at L.A. Live.
The date of the memorial 2-24-20 is significant because Gianna wore jersey No. 2, Bryant wore No. 24 and Bryant spent all 20 seasons of his NBA career playing for the Lakers.
Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, a two-time Finals MVP and a one-time regular season MVP in 2008. He won championships with the Lakers in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010.
After he retired in 2016, Bryant poured himself into storytelling, winning an Oscar in 2018 for his short film 'Dear Basketball,' which was based on a poem he wrote.
Above all else, Bryant was a devoted father to his four daughters. Bryant's helicopter was headed to the Mamba Sports Academy before it crashed, where Bryant was going to coach Gianna in a basketball game.
Immediately after Bryant died, people gathered outside of Staples Center to form a makeshift memorial, leaving behind 1,353 basketballs, over 25,000 candles, jerseys, flowers, shoes, paintings and stuffed animals before the items were collected into 37 containers a week later.
"All had personal messages, including the shoes," Lee Zeidman, the president of Staples Center, told Sports Illustrated.
