LA honors famous Laker by declaring Kobe Bryant Day
The City of Los Angeles has declared 24 August Kobe Bryant day, in commemoration of the former Laker superstar.
Kobe Bryant
Earlier this week the L.A. City Council announced that today (Wednesday 24 August) would be known as “Kobe Bryant Day” to commemorate the two jersey numbers that the 18-time All-Star player wore- 8 and 24- during his 20 years at the LA Lakers.
"Among his astonishing list of accomplishments, Kobe Bryant's 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers ranks him No. 1 all-time for NBA players who played for a single franchise, and 'Kobe Bryant Day' is the City of Los Angeles' way of thanking him for his single-minded dedication to excellence, the fans and the entire City and region of Los Angeles," said L.A. City Councilman, José Huizar.
The move is also a recognition of Bryant’s philanthropy work with his wife Vanessa. Together the two founded the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation (KVBFF) to help improve the lives of youth and families by encouraging them to stay active through sports.
It will further strengthen Bryant's already strong brand appeal which has saw him agree partnerships with sponsors including Nike and Hublot.
Discussing the idea behind the move Huizar added: "For 20 years, we were all the beneficiaries of Kobe's incredible talent and legendary work ethic, and on 8-24 we'll gather to say, 'Thank you, Mamba”.
Bryant will be honoured in a ceremony at the LA City Hall today.