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Kobe Bryant's 2008 Lakers Jersey Displayed in African American History Museum
October 19, 2020
The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture is honoring late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant with a display that debuts Monday.
The display will feature a jersey Bryant wore during the 2008 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, along with other jerseys and memorabilia.
Los Angeles Times @latimesFor the transformative effect he had on the sport of basketball and on American culture more broadly, Kobe Bryant will be remembered with a new display at the Smithsonian Institution‘s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington https://t.co/AtS4o9mEk3
"We wanted to be able to share his impact," museum sports curator Damion Thomas told Kevin Rector of the Los Angeles Times. "It really is about the cultural significance of basketball as an expression of the African American fight for greater rights."
Bryant was one of nine people who died in a Jan. 26 helicopter crash in California. He was 41.
The accident also killed his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.
Since his death, the basketball world has found several ways to honor the 2020 Hall of Fame inductee. The Lakers wore a patch with his initials on their jerseys, and they played in the "Black Mamba" jerseys Bryant helped design multiple times during their run to the NBA title.
Bryant and his wife, Vanessa, previously donated $1 million to the museum.
