Matt Barnes gets Kobe Bryant and Gianna tattoo tribute

Matt Barnes got a tattoo of Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant.

For the last six months, the tributes to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his family after he and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among those killed in a helicopter crash have poured in on almost a non-stop basis. One of the more interesting and artistic tributes belongs to former NBA forward Matt Barnes, who immortalized both father and daughter on his body forever.

Barnes got in touch with Steve Butcher, a legendary LA tattoo artist whom Barnes has patronized in the past. Barnes’ latest tattoo is an image of Kobe and Gianna embracing during the 2016 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando.

Matt Barnes always had a great deal of respect for Kobe.

Barnes played with Kobe on the Lakers from 2010 to 2012, and he faced off against him plenty of times during his career considering he played for every team in the NBA’s Pacific Division during his long, journeyman career. Despite the fact that the two were foes on the court more than they were friends, Barnes has often spoken of the respect he had for Kobe and the way he played the game.

The wounds of Kobe’s untimely passing are still very much open and festering, and current and former players alike are still trying to accept the fact that he’d gone. Barnes’ new ink is more than just an impressive art piece. It’s a way to remember both one of the all-time greats and a daughter who was on track for so much more.

Even almost seven months after the fact, Kobe and his daughter perishing in such a shocking, unusual manner still seems almost impossible to comprehend. Barnes found a pretty clever and unique way to honor the legacy of Kobe and the memory of Gianna.