Street Next To Staples Center Will Be Named 'Kobe Bryant Blvd,' According to Los Angeles City Council Member
Kobe Bryant had so many moments of greatness at Staples Center over his 20-season career with the Lakers.
And now anyone that goes to the arena in downtown, Los Angeles, will be reminded the five-time champion.
Figueroa Street between Olympic Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard will be renamed Kobe Bryant Boulevard, Los Angeles City Council member Herb J. Wesson Jr. tweeted Monday.
Wesson Jr. made the announcement on Kobe Bryant Day, which falls on the 24th day of the eighth month of the year in Los Angeles and Orange County, an homage to his No. 8 and 24 jerseys.
Bryant died in a helicopter crash Jan. 26 along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other people. He would've celebrated his 42nd birthday Sunday.
The Lakers are wearing "Black Mamba" uniforms to honor Bryant in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday. They lead the series, 2-1.
"This day and [Monday] where we’re going to wear the uniforms, it brings back a lot of the emotions of what happened," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Sunday. "We’re all still very sad about his loss and Gigi’s loss. It’s just a tough thing for all of us to handle and to go through."
The Lakers are competing for their first championship since 2010, when Bryant won his fifth and final title with the team.
"Championship parade after championship parade, Kobe Bryant led the procession down Figueroa St, from MLK to Olympic," Wesson Jr. tweeted Monday. "After the @Lakers win this year, they will be marching down #KobeBryantBlvd."
