LOS ANGELES — Of the hundreds of Kobe Bryant murals in and around Los Angeles, the one on 400 West Pico Boulevard carries extra meaning.

Painted by Louie Palsino, also known as Sloe Motions, the mural depicts the Lakers great with his arm wrapped around his daughter, Gianna, as they have angel wings in the clouds. It was done after the two were killed in a helicopter crash in January 2020.

The mural has become a popular destination for fans to pay their respects to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and his daughter, especially since it sits less than 1,500 feet south of Crypto.com Arena, where the Lakers play and where Bryant brought the franchise five NBA titles. 

But the mural’s status was in jeopardy after the landlord of the building ordered for it to be taken down. The occupants of the building, Hardcore Fitness, then pleaded for support to keep it up. The community responded, and with the help of 2K Games, the mural will stay, showcasing the importance of keeping the legacy of the city’s star alive. 

Raising awareness for the mural

It was Sept. 14 when the gym’s owner, Cecilia Moran, said in an Instagram post the mural was in danger of coming down at the direction of her landlord, telling the Los Angeles Times the landowner wanted the space for advertising. She had two weeks to take it down.

Moran asked people to help find ways to protect the mural, which led to a online petition showing support for keeping it up. The petition received more than 90,000 signatures, and received support from Vanessa Bryant. Through meetings with her landlord, Moran's deadline was extended through October.

That’s when 2K Games came in to help. Ronnie Singh, the head of lifestyle and content marketing at 2K more commonly known as Ronnie 2K, announced Monday on ESPN’s “NBA Today” the company had reached an agreement with the landlord to keep the mural up.

How the mural was preserved 

Singh held a rededication ceremony near the mural Thursday, and told reporters and fans the importance the company felt in preserving it. Bryant is the cover athlete of NBA 2K24, the company’s signature annual video game, and had been featured in several previous editions.

“For weeks and months, people have lined up in front of this beautiful mural, taking pictures. For us to be a part of saving this thing is just a celebration of basketball,” Singh said. “This one means a lot to our community. It's basketball related. It's Kobe Bryant. Our cover star for NBA 2K24 is Kobe Bryant. It made sense for us to get involved.

“We felt a moral responsibility to jump in and say, ‘We want to make a difference.’ Not words, but actions,” Singh added.

After weeks of meetings, the mural was preserved thanks to a “philanthropic donation” 2K Games made to the landlord. Singh said he couldn’t disclose the details of the donation, but the agreement will keep the mural up until at least Oct. 26, 2024, after which 2K Games hopes to extend the agreement or have another company fund the efforts. 

Disapproval from gym owner 

One person not in attendance for the rededication ceremony was Moran, or any owners of Hardcore Fitness. Gymgoers inside the establishment were not aware of the ceremony happening outside the walls.

After news of 2K Games' involvement in the efforts, Hardcore Fitness said on Instagram it found Singh “very disrespectful to all the hard work” the gym had done to preserve it, and the ”true heroes” were the people who signed the petition and raised awareness, including Vanessa Bryant. 

“I DO NOT support their actions or the way they handled things,” the post read. “... I am not an ungrateful person, but if you knew the full extent of what I'm going through, you would understand my frustration. Right now, I have nothing to celebrate. The work is unfinished, and I'm still on the firing line while witnessing a big company walk all over a women and small business for publicity while creating a problem.”

As a result, Moran told USA TODAY Sports ownership would not attend the ceremony, and she never received an invite. 

When asked about the relationship between 2K Games and Hardcore Fitness, Singh said he had spoken to Hardcore Fitness about how the mural will be preserved and he received support from ownership, but didn't specify who he spoke to. He also gave credit to the people raising awareness of the petition, as that’s how 2K Games found out about the ordeal.

“Our significance here was we wanted to save the mural. We wanted to help and that's all we were thinking about,” he said. 

Larry Nolan, CEO of Hardcore Fitness, said he spoke to Singh. He wasn’t involved with the negotiations with the landowner about the mural, but like Moran, he was surprised by 2K Games' announcement and reached out to understand what was happening. 

“It's a complicated situation,” Nolan said. “It's kind of trying to middleman the situation and figure out where everybody is at and what the problem is and how to make everybody happy.”

Nolan said he expressed gratitude for 2K Games' involvement with the mural. Moran said she has not spoken to, or been contacted, by 2K Games.

“The main thing, at the end of the day, that I'm happy about is the mural is still up for at least a period of time, and I think that that was kind of the main goal. I think the rest of this stuff will get figured out,” Nolan said.

‘It’s beautiful’ to see Gianna and Kobe Bryant mural

Regardless of how the mural is being saved – or for how long – fans are glad to see an iconic piece of art is staying put in the immediate future. People wearing Bryant and Gianna shirts and jerseys took pictures in front of the mural after the ceremony.

Deshaun Highler, former college basketball player of “Last Chance U” fame, told USA TODAY Sports it is “the coolest thing ever” to see so many people come together to try and keep the mural up. When Highler starred in the basketball season of the Netflix show, filming took place immediately after Bryant’s death, with several players sharing their shock in front of the cameras.

“If you're from Southern California, and a basketball fan, Kobe is basketball,” Highler said. “He's the GOAT around here.”

Highler also mentioned the significance of having Gianna Bryant on the mural, saying Kobe Bryant "was all about Gianna and her journey. It's just a testament to their relationship."

Hardcore Fitness will continue to fight for it to stay up beyond a year. For now, fans can continue to honor “The Black Mamba” and “Mambacita.”

“It's beautiful to have them both up here,” Highler said.

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