Kobe and Gigi Bryant mural in downtown LA vandalized again

CBS News

3 days ago

After being restored recently, the Kobe and Gianna Bryant mural in downtown Los Angeles has been vandalized once again.
The mural, located at 1361 Main St., Los Angeles, depicts the legendary Laker with his daughter when she was a toddler. Artist Sloe_motions created the mural shortly after Kobe, Gigi, and seven others died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020.
"This was the first mural I ever did for Kobe," the artist said after the first vandalism.
After restoring the piece of art that started his dedication to Kobe and Gigi's memory in May, Sloe Motion said he was disappointed to see the mural again covered in graffiti.
The mural was covered with graffiti after artist Sloe Motions restored it recently.
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"We didn't want that disrespect to LA right here and for people to see that, especially Vanessa," Sloe Motion said. "Kobe has brought nothing but light and insight and inspiration to the youth."
Sloe Motions started an online fundraiser after the initial vandalism in April. It caught the eye of Laker star Luka Dončić, who donated $5,000 to help restore the mural.
"Kobe is LA. He and Gigi mean so much to this city, to the Lakers organization and to me personally," Dončić said in a statement. "I'm happy to do anything to help make sure he and his daughter are honored."
Sloe Motion painted the mural shortly after the deadly helicopter crash and went one to paint dozens more. However, it was his first that gave him the opportunity to meet Kobe's widow, Vanessa Bryant, two years later.
"This is Los Angeles," Bryant said in a commercial for Super Bowl LVI while parked in front of the mural. "The city of angels. Where iconic teams, where iconic moments and where icons have etched their place in the storybook of history. Where nothing is impossible without a lot of hard work and a little imagination."