Kobe Bryant’s two Lakers jersey numbers will light up the Santa Monica coastline Monday night when the Pacific Wheel displays a 90-foot tribute to the late basketball star in recognition of Kobe Bryant Day.
The Ferris wheel at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier will display “LA (heart) 24” and “LA (heart) 8” in Lakers purple and gold beginning at sunset, about 7:30 p.m., and continuing until midnight. Custom patterns and transitions celebrating Bryant‘s career and legacy in Los Angeles will also be displayed across the wheel’s 174,000 LED lights.
Aug. 24 is observed as Kobe Bryant Day in Los Angeles, with the 8/24 date representing the two jersey numbers Bryant wore during his 20-season career with the Lakers. The observance comes one day after Bryant’s Aug. 23 birthday.
Bryant spent his entire NBA career with the Lakers from 1996 to 2016, helping the team win five NBA championships and earning 18 All-Star selections. He was named the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2008 and was twice named NBA Finals MVP.
The Lakers retired both of Bryant’s jersey numbers, No. 8 and No. 24, in December 2017, making him the first player in franchise history to have two numbers retired.
Nine people, including the 41-year-old Bryant and 13-year-old daughter Gianna, were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas on Jan. 26, 2020.
