After the sudden deaths of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others in a helicopter crash late last month, street artists began using their craft to pay tribute to the Lakers legend.
Lakers fan Mike Asner said after the shocking loss he began to see murals popping up all over the city. "I was seeing people commenting about the mural locations and being unable to find them, so there was an opportunity to organize and promote all of these murals," Asner told Cheddar.
That's when KobeMural.com was born.
He began with an Instagram page and then created a website to catalog all of the artwork by using Google Maps to locate each mural throughout Los Angeles and curating them for residents and visiting fans so they can easily find and view the works in person.
"It has been great to see the response from fans and for us all to honor Kobe, Gigi, and all families involved in this tragedy," Asner said.
Kobe Bryant's impact goes far beyond his basketball legacy, Asner says, and fans are also honoring Bryant as a proud family man. "We are also seeing this city mourn Kobe the father," he said. "As much as I love seeing murals of Kobe the basketball player and champion, it brought me and others so much joy to see the man, father, and husband."
Asner says he can tell through each artists' artwork that they understood and connected to the retired Lakers player's famous "mamba mentality," which Bryant once described as the idea that "no matter what happens, come hell or high water, you're going to figure it out."
"What I am noticing is these artists feel a strong connection to Kobe's work ethic, the 'mamba mentality' and they are applying that to their daily lives and their work on these murals," Asner added.
