Filipino fans pay tribute to Kobe Bryant at Araneta Coliseum

Rappler.com

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Filipino fans pay tribute to Kobe Bryant at Araneta Coliseum
Some clad in Kobe Bryant's Lakers jerseys, Filipino fans troop to the Araneta Coliseum to honor the basketball icon who was killed in a helicopter crash

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino fans joined the entire basketball world in mourning the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant.

Some clad in Bryant’s No. 8 and No. 24 Los Angeles Lakers jerseys, fans trooped to the Araneta Coliseum to pay tribute to the icon, who was killed in a helicopter crash with his daughter Gianna and 7 others

 

Photo by Ben Nabong/Rappler

 

Candles forming No. 8 and No. 24 were lit as fans laid out jerseys, caps, and shoes that have Bryant’s and the Lakers’ names and logos. 

 

Photo from Twitter/@TheBigDome

 

Loud chants of “Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!” then reverberated at the purple-and-gold-lit Big Dome, where he played multiple times in exhibition games. 

 

A large tarpaulin bearing Bryant’s photo was put up as fans wrote their messages for the “Black Mamba.”  

 

Photo by Ben Nabong/Rappler

 

Over in Pasay City, the Mall of Asia also paid homage to Bryant by lighting its giant globe purple with the No. 24. 

 

Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, remains one of the Filipinos’ most beloved basketball players. 

 

He was a frequest visitor in the Philippines, flying to Manila for the first time in 1998 and returning in 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013. 

 

Kobe Bryant tribute. Photo from Twitter/@TheBigDome

 

After his retirement in 2016, Bryant visited the country again in the same year. 

Bryant is survived by wife Vanessa and daughters Natalia Diamante, Bianka Bella, and Capri Kobe. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!