Michael Jordan Joked He Had Created A New Crying Meme At Kobe’s Memorial

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Heartbroken Vanessa Bryant holds it together to pay tribute to Kobe and Gianna, 13, after suing ‘reckless’ chopper firm for their deaths – as Beyonce lifts roof at Staples Center memorial and Los Angeles bids farewell to its favorite son

Twenty thousand mourners flocked to the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles on Monday to say their goodbyes to Kobe and Gianna Bryant.

The Celebration of Life honoring the basketball legend and his 13-year-old daughter drew fans from across the country to the Southern California city almost a month after they were killed along with seven others in a helicopter crash on January 26.

Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s wife and Gianna’s mother, opened the memorial with tearful remarks about her ‘baby girl’ and her ‘soulmate’.

‘God knew they couldn’t be on this Earth without each other,’ Vanessa said. ‘He had to bring them home to have them together.’

She described Gianna as ‘an amazingly sweet and gentle soul’ who lit up every room she walked into, and choked up as she talked about how her daughter inherited her father’s fierce love and talent for basketball, and how she would never get to see Gianna become the trailblazer she was destined to be in the sports world.

Vanessa then reflected on her 21-year relationship with Kobe, whom she described as ‘the best girl dad’, who taught their four daughters ‘how to be brave and keep pushing forward when things get tough’.

NBA legends Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal took the stage later on, both breaking down in tears as they remembered their late friend and rival.

Several other famous sports figures who knew Kobe personally and professionally also spoke at the memorial, which featured musical performances by Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera.

Twenty thousand mourners flocked to the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles on Monday to say their goodbyes to Kobe and Gianna Bryant.

The Celebration of Life honoring the basketball legend and his 13-year-old daughter drew fans from across the country to the Southern California city almost a month after they were killed along with seven others in a helicopter crash on January 26.

Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s wife and Gianna’s mother, opened the memorial with tearful remarks about her ‘baby girl’ and her ‘soulmate’.

‘God knew they couldn’t be on this Earth without each other,’ Vanessa said. ‘He had to bring them home to have them together.’

She described Gianna as ‘an amazingly sweet and gentle soul’ who lit up every room she walked into, and choked up as she talked about how her daughter inherited her father’s fierce love and talent for basketball, and how she would never get to see Gianna become the trailblazer she was destined to be in the sports world.

Vanessa then reflected on her 21-year relationship with Kobe, whom she described as ‘the best girl dad’, who taught their four daughters ‘how to be brave and keep pushing forward when things get tough’.

NBA legends Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal took the stage later on, both breaking down in tears as they remembered their late friend and rival.

Several other famous sports figures who knew Kobe personally and professionally also spoke at the memorial, which featured musical performances by Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera.

Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s wife and Gianna’s mother, paid tribute to the pair at a public memorial in Los Angeles on Monday

Fellow NBA great and close friend Michael Jordan spoke later during the memorial service, breaking down in tears as he said: ‘When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died’

Photos of Kobe and Gianna flashed up on the screen inside the Staples Center, where 20,000 people gathered to pay tribute

The service also featured musical performances by Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera

Staples Center sold out for the memorial, and the money made from ticket sales will be given to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, which supports youth sports programs in under-served communities and teaches sports to girls and women.

Vanessa chose February 24 as the date for the memorial in honor of the pair’s uniform numbers.

Kobe wore number 24 over the second half of his career and Gianna wore number 2 on her youth basketball teams.

Symbolic meanings ran throughout the ceremony, which took place on a 24-foot-by-24-foot stage.

Audience members included a number of fellow sports stars and A-list friends of the Bryants, including Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, Michael Phelps, Snoop Dogg, Steph Curry, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Scotty Pippen.

Beyoncé opened the service by performing her hit XO – which she said was one of Bryant’s favorite songs – followed by Halo.

Late night host Jimmy Kimmel then took the stage and gave a short speech before introducing Vanessa, who thanked the audience before giving an emotional tribute to her husband and daughter.

She described Gianna as a doting daughter who took after both of her parents with her ‘infectious smile’ and her ‘incredible’ athleticism.

‘She was daddy’s girl but I know she loved her mama,’ Vanessa said of Gianna. ‘She was one of my very best friends.’

‘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,’ she said.

‘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.’

She teared up as she spoke about how she would never get to witness Gianna’s wedding day or see her change the face of basketball.

The public memorial honoring Kobe and Gianna (pictured in December) was held on Monday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, about a month after the pair were killed along with seven others in a helicopter crash on January 26

Vanessa fought back tears as she described her ‘baby girl’ Gianna and ‘soulmate’ Kobe

A number of sports stars and A-list celebrities were in the audience, including Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez (picture), who have been friends with Kobe and Vanessa for years

Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian and Kris Jenner are seen on the floor of the Staples Center during the service

Beyoncé was seated behind a teary Vanessa Bryant during the service

Vanessa then shifted to her ‘soulmate’ Kobe.

‘Kobe was known as a fierce competitor on the basketball court, the greatest of all time, a writer, an Oscar winner, and the Black Mamba.

‘But to me, he was Kob-kob, my boo boo, my Bayboo, my Papichulo. I was his VB, his Principessa, his Reina, his Queen Mamba, and his Viski-Maniski-Fabulissi.

‘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. He was mine. He was my everything.

‘Kobe and I had been together since I was 17 1/2 years old. I was his first girlfriend, his first love, his wife, his best friend, his confidant, and his protector.

‘He was the most amazing husband. Kobe loved me more than I can ever express or put into words. He was the early bird and I was a night owl. I was fire and he was ice, and vice versa at times. We balanced each other out.

‘He would do anything for me. I have no idea how I deserved a man that loved and wanted me more than Kobe. He was charismatic, a gentleman, he was loving, adoring, and romantic.

‘I want my daughters to know and remember the amazing person, husband and father he was. The kind of man that wanted to teach the future generations to be better and keep them from making his own mistakes.’

She concluded by addressing Kobe directly: ‘Babe, you take care of our Gigi. And I got Nani, Bibi and Coco. We’re still the best team. We love and miss you, Boo Boo and Gigi. May you both rest in peace and have fun in heaven until we meet again one day.

‘We love you both and miss you forever and always.’

The memorial was held just as attorneys for Vanessa filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Island Express Helicopters Inc, the company that operated the doomed helicopter that crashed last month, killing Kobe and Gianna.

Jennifer Lopez was reduced to tears as she listened to Vanessa’s remarks about Kobe

Jordan paused to wipe away tears at several points in his speech. ‘As a basketball player, as a businessman, and a storyteller, and as father, in the game of basketball, in life, as a parent, Kobe left nothing in the tank. He left it all on the floor,’ he said

Golden State Warriors’ star Steph Curry laughs after Michael Jordan cracked a joke about becoming a meme again

Kobe’s former teammate Shaquille O’Neal called the late star ‘Heaven’s MVP’ and said: ‘Kobe and I always held a deep respect and love for one another’

Kobe’s close friend Michel Jordan delivered an equally heartwrenching tribute to the star, breaking down in tears as he said: ‘When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died.’

Jordan said he wanted to be the ‘best big brother I could be’ for Kobe.

‘As a basketball player, as a businessman, and a storyteller, and as father, in the game of basketball, in life, as a parent, Kobe left nothing in the tank. He left it all on the floor,’ he said.

‘Kobe gave every last ounce of himself to whatever he was doing. After basketball he showed a creative side … that I didn’t think any of us knew he had.’

He continued: ‘In retirement he seemed so happy, he found new passions and he continued to give back as a coach, in his community. More importantly, he was an amazing dad, amazing husband, who dedicated himself to his family and who loved his daughters with all his heart.

‘Kobe never left anything on the court. And I think that’s what he would want for us to do. No one knows how much time we have, that’s why we must live in the moment.’

On a lighter note, Jordan joked that his teary appearance would spawn ‘another crying meme’ like the existing one taken from his tearful Hall of Fame induction speech.

‘I told my wife I wasn’t going to do this because I didn’t want to see that for the next three or four years,’ he said. ‘That is what Kobe Bryant does to me.’

Beyoncé (left) opened the service performing her hit XO – which she said was one of Bryant’s favorite songs – followed by Halo. Late night host Jimmy Kimmel (right) then took the stage and gave a short speech before introducing Vanessa Bryant

Alicia Keys later performed Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata as silence fell over the emotional audience

Christina Aguilera, the last performer at the celebration of life ceremony, sang a heartfelt version of Franz Schubert’s classic Ave Maria, all in Italian, with an orchestra behind her as well as dozens of red roses and white candles

One of the first speakers was WNBA great Diana Taurasi (left), whom Kobe nicknamed ‘White Mamba’. Next was Sabrina Ionescu (right), a point guard for University of Oregon who was mentored by Kobe and later became a mentor to Gianna

Geno Auriemma (left), coach of the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team, and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka (right), Bryant’s former agent, both described their favorite memories of Kobe and Gianna

O’Neal, Kobe’s former teammate, also became emotional as he addressed the crowd after Jordan.

he said that he and Kobe had a complex relationship, but that they always respected each other and never took any rivalry too seriously.

He recalled an early conflict with Kobe, who wasn’t passing as much as O’Neal would’ve liked.

He said he told Kobe: ‘There’s no “I” in team,’ to which the star responded: ‘Yeah, but there’s a “M-E.”‘

The crowd roared with laughter at the memory.

O’Neal also described a time that Kobe told him others in the NBA were playing checkers while he was playing chess. He said he replied: ‘Kobe, I don’t know how to play chess.’

On a more serious note, O’Neal called Kobe ‘Heaven’s MVP’ and said: ‘Kobe and I always held a deep respect and love for one another.’

After he stepped off the stage, Christina Aguilera sang a rendition of ‘Ave Maria’.

NBA legends Michael Jordan (left), Kareem Abdul Jabbar (center right) and Magic Johnson (top right) are seen in the audience

Rapper Snoop Dogg, a longtime fan and friend of Kobe’s, is seen in the audience

Former NBA star Dwyane Wade and his actress wife Gabrielle Union were sat near the stage

Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps appears to be fighting back tears as he sits alongside his wife Nicole Johnson (third row)

Carmelo Anthony, basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers, wears a somber expression during the service

WNBA great Diana Taurasi, who Kobe nicknamed ‘White Mamba’, in reference to his own nickname ‘Black Mamba’, also recalled her favorite memories of Kobe.

She told the crowd how watching the Lakers star play inspired her, and praised the competitive fire that ran through Kobe’s veins.

Taurasi also praised Gianna, saying that she ‘in many ways represents the future of women’s basketball: a future where a young woman aspires to play in the WNBA the same way I wanted to be Laker’.

‘Gigi already had goals to play for UConn — that in itself showed her fearless mentality,’ Taurasi said.

‘We promise to carry Gigi’s legacy.’

Next on the mic was Sabrina Ionescu, a basketball player at the University of Oregon who was mentored by Kobe and later became a mentor to Gianna, whom she called ‘the future’ of women’s basketball.

‘She always wanted to learn, to go to every came she could — college, NBA, WNBA,’ Ionescu said.

‘Kobe was helping with that because he saw it in her. Just like he saw it in me.’

She recalled how Kobe would text her and check up on her, giving both her and Gianna the ‘blueprint’ for future success.

‘Through Gigi, through me, through his investment in women’s basketball – that was his next great act,’ she said.

Geno Auriemma, coach of the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team, opened his remarks by saying he was at the memorial as a father, not as a coach.

Auriemma described the excitement that 13-year-old Gianna showed while visiting UConn, where she had hoped to one day play basketball.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, Bryant’s former agent, then spoke about the last texts he received from Kobe just before the star was killed in the shocking helicopter crash.

Pelinka said Kobe had asked him for help to secure an internship for a daughter of his friend John Altobelli, who also died in the crash.

He called Kobe’s last act as ‘heroic’ and said he wanted to ‘use his platform to bless and shape a young girl’s future’.

Pelinka then praised Kobe’s ability to accomplish anything he set his mind to, including learning to play Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata on piano. He then introduced Alicia Keys, who performed a version of the sonata.