The NBA great joins mourners in Los Angeles to honor the lives of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna

Michael Enriquez, from Santa Barbara, California, has been a Kobe Bryant fan all his life and was here for his jersey retirement ceremony. The memorial today, though, was vastly different.
“The jersey retirement was like a celebration for him,” he said. “This is just heartbreaking.”
Still he said it was a great experience to be here: “I’m never gonna forget it,” he said. He brought his son Michael, Jr., who said the event want “cool.”
Meanwhile, Dianna Rodriguez, pictured below, said the event gave her a sense of peace — especially because his death was bigger than basketball.
“It was a way for everyone to … accept what happened and accept his life,” she said. “I needed it for sure. I’ve been a mess the last month.”
Stacey Lopez said Kobe’s wife Vanessa’s speech was the most meaningful. “She speaks to every mother out there, every wife out there,” she said.


