Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, is asking for the public’s help in saving a mural of her late husband and daughter that’s scheduled for removal.
The efforts by Vanessa Bryant to prevent the removal include a social media request to sign a petition in favor of keeping the mural.
The landlord for the building that houses Hardcore Fitness, located approximately half a mile from Crypto.com Arena, is reportedly seeking to use the wall for advertising purposes.
Hardcore Fitness owner Cecilia Moran has thus far refused to remove the mural that depicts both Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna in angel wings while wearing basketball jerseys.
Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant were two of the nine victims in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020. The stunning news was felt far beyond the sports world but especially had a major impact on the NBA.
Just days after the tragedy, artist Sloe Motions began to create the mural that’s gained popularity since it was completed. Many other murals were also created in the aftermath, with one estimate of 340 given in the Southern California area.
Kobe Bryant completed an iconic 20-season run with the Lakers in 2016, spending his entire NBA career with the franchise. Just months after his death, Kobe Bryant was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, with ceremonies delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Daughter Gianna Bryant, who was 13 at the time of her death, was in the midst of developing her own basketball talents. Her 41-year-old father was serving as a coach for her team, with all of the victims traveling to a basketball game in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
The signing of a petition is a relatively easy action for those concerned about the issue. However, it carries no legal weight, which means that the landlord in question can simply ignore it if he so chooses.
Still, the landlord may be on the receiving end of backlash from the public if he does go ahead with plans to use the wall for advertising. How much income he will be able to obtain is unknown, while the public backlash may end up not being worth the effort.
