NBA2K creators made a philanthropic donation to save a Downtown LA mural of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna for at least one more year after the owner of the building on which it is painted demanded that it be removed. NBA2K and hosted a rededication for the mural at its location on Thursday at 3 p.m. Gordon Tokumatsu reports for the NBC4 News on Oct. 26, 2023.
A downtown Los Angeles mural of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna was saved for at least another year with a pledge made by the creators of a fan-favorite basketball video game.
The fate of the mural was disputed between a local business owner and the owner of the building on which it is painted, prompting the creators of NBA2K to step in.
The mural is painted on the side of a gym, Hardcore Fitness, on 400 W. Pico Blvd. in Downtown LA. The owner of the building reportedly demanded that it be painted over, but Hardcore Fitness owner and tenant Cecilia Moran and NBA2K digital marketing manager Ronnie Singh had other plans.
Moran spearheaded the attempt to preserve the mural after she said her landlord planned to use the wall space for advertising instead. Moran used more than $2,000 of her own money for the mural’s supplies, and artist Louie Palsino painted it for free.
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Singh announced that NBA2K made a philanthropic donation to the landlord to preserve the mural.
"For us to be a part of saving this thing is just a celebration of basketball and something that means so much to us as a video game," Singh said.
NBA2K hosted a rededication of the mural on Thursday at its location.
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The mural depicts Kobe and Gianna — two of the nine people killed in the fatal January 2020 helicopter crash — with angel wings and a glow around their heads.
A petition on change.org was started in support of the mural’s preservation and has amassed over 90,000 signatures. Widow Vanessa Bryant promoted the petition in an Instagram story in September.
Hardcore Fitness is located just a few blocks away from Crypto.com Arena, the home of the Lakers.
