Six years later, Kobe Bryant salutes LAKER LUKA DOBL in New Los Angeles

Occasional fans could assume that Kobe Bryant never met Luka Doncic. After all, Bryant retired three years before the start of Doncic at the age of 19 in 2018.

But when the Dallas Mavericks visited the Lakers on December 29, 2019, at the start of the second season of Doncic, Bryant – wearing a Beanie and a green orange jacket from Philadelphia – was seated in short with his daughter, Gianna.

At one point, Donic seemed unconscious because he stood directly in front of Bryant while trying to launch an incoming pass. He heard someone about the trash speaking in Slovenian, turned around and he was Bryant, smiling. Doncic quickly shakes hands before turning to the field and disturbing the ball.

“I like him to show love,” said so after the match. “He spoke my language. I saw Kobe speak Slovenian and I was really surprised. »»

After the victory of the 108-95 Lakers in which Donic has experienced a lower performance, missing the six of his three-point shots while scoring 19 points, Bryant praised the budding superstar saying: “My man! What’s new brother?

Dononic replied: “I said to myself:” Who speaks Slovenian? ” “” They shared a laugh, another handshake and a hug. Dononic posed for a photo with Gianna, then for another with Bryant. A month later, Bryant and Gianna were one of the nine people who died in a helicopter accident in the hills over Calabasas on January 26, 2020.

Dononic is now a member of the Lakers after a business that has redefined the sense of surprising. And unsurprisingly, a mural that captures this 2019 Bryant and Dononic meeting is already complete.

In front of the Carrera Cafe on Melrose avenue between Harper avenue and avenue North Sweetzer in Beverly Grove, the mural is the last of a favorite social media landscape in front of the famous pink wall Paul Smith.

Kobe’s hat is Lakers Gold and its Lakers Purple jacket in the mural, but the tight beard and mustache that he displayed that night is accurately represented. The same goes for the smiles that Bryant and Dononic wore during their short meeting.

Wall painting was painted by Arutyun Gozukuchikyan, known as Artoon. The first wall of the Armenian artist in Bryant was painted a week after his death, on the side of an exotic car rental company along Boulevard Ventura. Bryant and Gianna, then 13 years old, smile and look towards the sky.

More than 100 murals commemorating the life of Bryant and his daughter are presented in a next book written by the wife of Bryant and Gianna’s mother, Vanessa Bryant, and photographed by Bryant for a long time and the photographer of the NBA Andrew Bernstein. That of Bryant and Dononic is a worthy addition.