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.

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.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

CNN.com – RSS Channel – HP Hero