Dodgers to honor Kobe and Gianna Bryant on Sunday

The Dodgers will honor Kobe and Gianna Bryant on Sunday

This Sunday would’ve been Kobe Bryant’s 42nd birthday, and the Los Angeles sports icon is still missed in the community nearly seven months after his death. Bryant transcended just basketball, with his post-NBA career revolving around mentoring not just athletes, but titans of industry. He wasn’t afraid to take on a subject that, on the surface, would seem unfamiliar to a former basketball star.

His death, along with his daughter Gianna, was such a tragic event. The sports world has since rallied around Vanessa Bryant and her daughters, honoring Kobe and Gianna is any relevant situation. Sunday is no exception, with the Dodgers stepping up in a big way.

On Bryant’s 42nd birthday, the Dodgers are stepping to the plate

The Dodgers have yet to disclose exactly how they will be honoring Bryant, but given their means and their connection to Lakers great Magic Johnson, we should expect a grand, meaningful exhibit.

Kobe was an avid Dodgers fan, attending several games throughout his Lakers career and afterward. The Philly kid took to Dodgers baseball quite quickly, despite his roots suggesting he might think otherwise. Bryant even announced the Dodgers lineup before Game 4 of the 2018 World Series, a series they would eventually lose to the Boston Red Sox.

In fact, Bryant even visited the Dodgers locker room from time to time, shocking the likes of starstruck Cody Bellinger, who recalled the first time he met Mamba in a conversation with Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell back in April.

"“So, 100% it was Kobe Bryant. It was right before [a playoff game against Milwaukee], I was in the video room and Kobe walks in. I look up and I was like, ‘Oh, man. This is Kobe Bryant.’ He was like, ‘Man, I love that you’re watching video right before a game.’ I remember trying to say words. I wanted to say what’s up to him but I couldn’t figure out what to say. I really was speechless. We ended up taking a picture and it was probably like a three-to-five-minute conversation. By far the coolest person that I’ve ever met. It was crazy, man. I was so starstruck.”"

Bryant’s influence on sports culture remains to this day, and will continue long past Sunday’s ceremony. The Dodgers are right to celebrate that fact.