Artists in Philippines update mural to honor Kobe Bryant's death anniversary

Filipino basketball fans in Manila created a massive mural to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna on Tuesday to commemorate their first-year death anniversary. Artists of the Tenement building took four days to finish the mural because of the rain. They have been planning for the mural design since last year said lead artist Jerry Gabo.

Bryant was beloved by many Filipino fans as one of the greatest to have ever played basketball. His career was remarkable for its longevity and because he played all 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, the most ever for one team. Bryant was the fifth player to last two full decades. He was an 18-time All-Star, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 2008.

Bryant's post-playing career in the entertainment industry began auspiciously when he won an Oscar for "Dear Basketball," a short-animated film in 2018 that had been converted from a poem that he penned when he decided it was time to retire from playing the game. He had a podcast for kids and families, not with him blathering on about whatever he wanted to talk about but with characters talking about how to be a good teammate. Bryant, his daughter and 7 others died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020.