Tuesday 25 February 2020 00:09, UK
Basketball superstars and celebrities from the world of sport and music congregated to pay tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant at a packed Staples Center in Los Angeles.
They were joined by 20,000 mourners for the Celebration of Life for Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, who were killed along with seven others in a helicopter crash in January.
Fighting back tears, fellow basketball great Michael Jordan paid tribute to his close friend, saying: "When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died."
All proceeds from the event will go to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, which provides sports opportunities to the children of under-privileged communities and in particular girls and women.
Bryant's wife Vanessa spoke of her memories of her husband which she said were far removed from his reputation as a driven basketball hero and Oscar winner.
"I couldn't see him as a celebrity, nor just an incredible basketball player - he was my sweet husband and the beautiful father of our children," she said.
"He was my everything - Kobe and I have been together since I was 17-and-a-half-years old. I was his first girlfriend, his first love, his wife, his best friend, his confidant, and his protector."
Vanessa Bryant went on to pay tribute to Gianna, an enthusiastic basketball player who often accompanied her father to matches and was already being tipped as a future star of the women's game.
"Gigi was very competitive, like her daddy, but Gianna had sweet grace about her.
"Her smile was like sunshine. Her smile took up her entire face, like mine. Kobe always said she was me. She had my fire, my personality and sarcasm, she was tender and loving on the inside.
"She had the best laugh. It was infectious. It was pure and genuine. I truly feel she made positive changes for the WNBA players now. They knew Gigi's goal was to eventually play in the WNBA.
"I'm still so proud of Gianna. She made a difference and was kind to everyone she met in the 13 years she was here on earth."
Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera performed at the ceremony, with the latter providing an emotional rendition of 'Ave Maria'.
Fellow celebrities in the audience included Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, who were friends of the Bryants, Jennifer Lopez, Snoop Dogg and basketball greats Stephen Curry, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson.
Sky Sports News reporter Ben Ransom has been in Los Angeles and has felt the emotion of the people who have lost an idol to the city...
The police told the people of LA to stay away from the Staples Center and to watch the service on TV... that was never going to happen.
While 20,000 ticket-holders queued to get into the memorial itself, many more came out onto the streets just to be close and most importantly to be together.
Kobe Bryant touched many millions of lives around the world, but his loss and that of his thirteen-year-old daughter Gianna almost a month ago has been most painfully felt by the people of LA.
Tributes are everywhere in the city. There are murals on walls painted by artists inspired by Kobe, alongside simple messages of farewell written on the pavement. Few sportspeople transcend their particular sport and are known by all. Everyone here has a Kobe memory.
Being among those that had travelled from across America to be here it's clear that Kobe meant many different things to all of those different people.
On the court he was an icon and ranks alongside the very best NBA players of all-time. In 20 years at the LA Lakers he gave so many incredible sporting moments to the fans that today have been sharing stories, decked out in their gold and purple Bryant jerseys.
More than one person today has told me that it's felt like losing one of their own family and that being close to other fans has helped them come to terms with the loss.
Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi may be gone, but the fans he entertained, the people he inspired and "the house that Kobe built" lives on in his memory.
