Approximately 20,000 people are expected to attend the public memorial service for Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Monday, February 24. However, those who were unable to score tickets to go inside the arena can still tune in.
“A Celebration of Life for Kobe and Gianna Bryant” will air on several TV networks and will also be live-streamed online. The sold-out event is set to run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. PT (1 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET).
Non-ticket holders have been advised by local law enforcement not to congregate around Staples Center or the nearby L.A. Live complex as multiple streets in the area will be closed off. Additionally, there will not be any overflow locations for members of the public, and the screens outside Staples Center and L.A. Live will not televise the event in an attempt to prevent massive crowds.
Several L.A. networks, including Fox 11, will broadcast the memorial, while NBA TV will air it nationwide.
CBS All Access subscribers can live-stream the event online. It will also be available to watch for free on the Los Angeles Lakers’ YouTube channel (above) as well as the team’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Tidal is offering a free livestream for members and non-members too.
Additionally, BET, E! and Entertainment Tonight have announced plans to broadcast various Bryant-related specials and memorial highlights later on Monday.
Players from the Lakers and the Clippers are expected to attend the “Celebration of Life,” as are NBA legends including Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Stephen Curry.
Staples Center previously hosted public memorial services for Michael Jackson in 2009 and Nipsey Hussle in 2019.
“We’re accustomed to doing these big types of events,” arena president Lee Zeidman told The New York Times on Monday.
Bryant and Gianna perished in a helicopter wreck on January 26 alongside pilot Ara Zobayan, 50, and family friends John Altobelli, 55, Keri Altobelli, 46, Alyssa Altobelli, 14, Sarah Chester, 45, Payton Chester, 13, and Christina Mauser, 38. The father-daughter duo were laid to rest during a private funeral in Corona Del Mar, California, on February 7.
Bryant and Gianna are survived by his wife, Vanessa Bryant, and the couple’s daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 8 months.
