Photos: Landmarks Light Up Purple, Gold to Remember Lifelong Laker Kobe Bryant
By Whitney Irick ••
Purple and gold illuminated several buildings and landmarks in Los Angeles and across the country on Sunday night in remembrance of late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
Bryant, 41, died Sunday morning in a helicopter crash in Calabasas. He and eight others, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, were killed when the aircraft crashed as they were flying to Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
He won five NBA titles during his 20-year career with the Lakers. Hailed as one of the greatest basketball players of his generation, the kid from Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania would grow up to enter the NBA draft, skip college and ultimately retire in 2016 as the league's No. 3 all-time scorer. Bryant remained there until Lakers forward Lebron James passed him on Saturday.
"Lights for a legend," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a tweet. City Hall and the LAX pylons will stay illuminated in purple and gold for the rest of the week, he added.
Below, a look in photos at how the city of LA and the country is remembering Bryant and his storied championship career.
18 photos
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Eric Garcetti
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted this photo on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, of Los Angeles City Hall lit in purple and gold “in honor of Kobe Bryant’s storied championship career and in memory of Bryant, his daughter, Gianna, and all who perished in today’s tragedy.”
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Pacific Park via AP
This photo provided by Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier shows their Ferris wheel in Los Angeles Lakers purple and gold colors with Kobe Bryant’s No. 24 in honor of the former Lakers star who died with several others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020.
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Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The Empire State Building is illuminated in gold and purple lights to honor the late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant in New York, United States, Jan. 28, 2020. Bryant died Sunday in a helicopter accident along with his 13-year-old daughter and seven other people.
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NBCLA
The pylons at LAX are glowing in Lakers colors on a somber morning in Los Angeles Monday Jan. 27, 2020, a day after the death of Kobe Bryant.
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AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo
Lights of purple and gold illuminate the pylons outside of LAX in remembrance of former NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, following reports of his death in a helicopter crash in Southern California.
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Madeline Kosmala
The InterContinental Hotel, the “tallest” building west of the Mississippi, displayed No. 24, Kobe Bryant’s jersey number, following his untimely death on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020.
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Los Angeles County
The fountain at Grand Park LA lit up in purple and gold on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, in honor of Kobe Bryant.
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Greg Bennett Jr.
The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
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Photo by James Devaney/Getty Images
Madison Square Garden pays tribute to Kobe Bryant during Brooklyn Nets v New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 26, 2020, in New York City.
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Madison Square Garden is lit up in Los Angeles Lakers colors in honor of former Laker great Kobe Bryant prior to the game between the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets tonight at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 26, 2020, in New York City.
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Sergio Quintana
The Chase Center in San Francisco, home venue for the Golden State Warriors, displayed a photo of Kobe Bryant and lit up in purple and gold in honor of Kobe Bryant.
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NBC 5 News
The Los Angeles Lakers colors — purple and gold — lit up the 7th Street Bridge in Fort Worth, Texas, as the nation remembered one of the NBA’s most iconic players on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020.
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NBC 5 News
The Pier 1 Imports building in Fort Worth, Texas, paid tribute to Kobe Bryant on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, by illuminating the corporate building in Los Angeles Lakers purple and gold.
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NBC Chicago
The United Center, home to the Chicago Bulls, paid homage to NBA legend Kobe Bryant on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, following the basketball legend’s untimely death.
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Tim Bradbury/Getty Images
Escalators at TD Garden are lit up with Lakers purple to memorialize former NBA star Kobe Bryant on Jan. 27, 2020, in Boston, Massachusetts.
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NBCLA
The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles honored Kobe Bryant.
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Ronak Patel
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, a Hindu temple complex in Chino Hills, was illuminated in purple and gold to honor Kobe Bryant.
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Catalina Island Company
The Catalina Island Company illuminated the iconic Casino with nine alternating purple and gold lights in remembrance of those who passed away in the Jan. 26, 2020, helicopter crash in Calabasas. Purple and gold represent the team colors of the Los Angeles Lakers, whose former star Kobe Bryant was among those lost. The nine lights pay tribute to the eight passengers and pilot, Ara Zobayan, who had deep Catalina connections, and made a significant impact on many residents and visitors during his frequent flights to the island.
