In this file photo, finals MVP Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates with his daughter Gianna and wife Vanessa (R) after the Lakers won 99-86 to win the NBA Championship against the Orlando Magic in Game Five of the 2009 NBA Finals at Amway Arena on June 14, 2009 in Orlando, Florida.
In a crowd of dozens of bowed heads at L.A. Live, a Hispanic man delicately lays out a lesser seen baby blue Lakers jersey among dozens of candles emblazoned with the Virgin of Guadalupe. He touches the jersey with a few fingers for the last time and makes the sign of the cross on a bent knee.
At one of the makeshift memorials for basketball superstar Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles grieves.
Every so often, fans cry out for Bryant, who died tragically in a helicopter crash Sunday. But one fan insists on chanting for “mambacita,” or “little Mamba,” referring to 13-year-old Gianna Bryant, the daughter of the former NBA star, who died along with her father.
Everyone can grieve the loss of Kobe Bryant. But one particular demographic feels that he embodied many of their cultural symbols: "Black Mamba" was a practicing Catholic, married to a Mexican American woman, spoke Spanish and dreamed big while working tirelessly toward his goals. Many Hispanics in LA thought those characteristics looked awfully familiar.
Kobe Bryant demonstrates his Spanish fluency and his appreciation for his Hispanic fans after his last professional game on April 13, 2016.
“When I got here, those fans were the ones who embraced me the most,” the legendary athlete said in fluent Spanish about his Hispanic fans at a press conference after the last game of his professional career, during which he scored 60 points against the Utah Jazz.
Why had he decided to learn the language? Because of what he himself said was an appreciation for his fans.
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“So I said, ‘Give me two years, three years, I'm going to speak a little Spanish,’" he said. And like he usually did, he stepped up to the challenge. He dedicated himself to telenovelas and famous Spanish-language programming like Sabado Gigante, according to one interview.
These weren’t just the efforts of a man trying to please a Hispanic audience — which at the beginning of his career made up almost 45% of LA County, according to the census — but also of a dedicated son-in-law.
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From top-left, clockwise: Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant, Payton Chester, Sarah Chester, Christina Mauser, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli and pilot Ara Zobayan, died on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, after the helicopter they traveled in crashed in Los Angeles.
Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers leaves the court after the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 14, 2014 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Bryant passed Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list with a free throw during the second quarter.
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ORLANDO, FL – JUNE 14: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers smiles with his wife Vanessa and his daughters Natalia and Gianna after the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic 99-86 in Game Five of the 2009 NBA Finals on June 14, 2009 at Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida. Kobe and Gianna tragically died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, Jan. 26, 2020. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 17: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers speaks during the post game news conference with daughters Natalia and Gianna Bryant as he celebrates after the Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics 83-79 in Game Seven of the 2010 NBA Finals at Staples Center on June 17, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 29: Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna Bryant attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks at Staples Center on December 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 17: Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Atlanta Hawks at Staples Center on November 17, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
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This undated photo released by Orange Coast College shows its head baseball coach John Altobelli. The Altobelli family has confirmed that John Altobelli, his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa were among those killed in the helicopter crash with NBA icon Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna in Calabasas, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. Alyssa played on the same team as Gianna, said Altobelli’s brother Tony, who is the sports information director at the school. (Orange Coast College via AP)
John Altobelli, Wife Keri and Daughter Alyssa Just as Bryant was passionate about basketball, John Altobelli had a deep love for the game of baseball. He coached at Orange Coast College. He was with the program for 27 years, leading the Pirates to four state titles en route to more than 700 career wins. Last year, he was the American Baseball Coaches Association as an ABCA/Diamond National Coach of the Year. Wife Keri and daughter Alyssa also were killed in Sunday's crash.
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Payton played basketball with Bryant's daughter Gianna. Family members said she loved playing the game and described Sarah as the heart of their family.
Courtesy of Margaret Bray
Ara Zobayan, described as an experienced instructor and charter pilot who had flown celebrities like Kylie Jenner and her niece Dream and Lorenzo Lamas, was at the helm of the helicopter as it traveled to Newbury Park where the girls aboard were to have a basketball tournament at the Mamba Sports Academy. He and all aboard, including Kobe Bryant and his daughter, perished in the crash Jan. 26, 2020.
Christina Mauser was a girls basketball coach at a nearby private elementary school. She is survived by her husband, who founded a popular Orange County band, and three young children. Her husband said she worked with Bryant at a clinic at Mamba Sports Academy.
In 2001, he married Vanessa Laine, whose mother was an immigrant from Mexico. He had his first of four daughters in 2003, and never forgot their Hispanic roots.
Bryant was “a man who always spoke for us, who was always at many Latino events. He was proud when he spoke in Spanish, and often said, ‘My Mexican daughters,’” Saul Rodriguez, a sports reporter for Telemundo 52, said.
He had an affinity for Hispanic culture and a humility that his fans remember fondly and that they associate with the superstar.
“One day he came and told me, ‘Don't treat me like a star. I want to be another customer to you,’” Rodolfo Garcia, an employee at El Camino Real in Fullerton, said. El Camino Real is a Mexican restaurant that Bryant reportedly went to often with his family.
“We would see him here frequently,” Kelly Alesi, a customer, said. “He would sit at the table and everyone knew who he was, but we didn’t bother him. We’d leave him alone and maybe that’s why he liked to come here. ”
But there was no hiding Bryant’s greatness in the restaurant, on the court or in life in general. Teammates and rivals, other superstar athletes and political figures have paid tribute to him across social media. But even Latin music stars count him as an inspiration, saying his legacy went beyond the United States.
"I would have never imagined that this would hurt me so much!" Grammy nominee and Latin Grammy Award-winner Bad Bunny wrote on Instagram. "I've never mentioned it because it doesn't necessarily have to do with music, but this man has been an inspiration in many ways for me to be what I am today."
The Spanish-trap star even released a song in tribute to Bryant Tuesday where he tries to make sense of his passing.
Ivy Queen, Anuella AA and J Balvin, were among others who paid tribute to the NBA star.
One fan even told the LA Times that the basketball star reminded him of his parents.
“They had multiple jobs and worked like crazy, but they never made excuses. That was Kobe. He’d play with broken fingers and torn ligaments, and would never say a thing. He set that example, and so we had to do the same,” Hugo Flores, an Anaheim resident, said.
Bryant became almost an honorary member of the community.
From the tears shed at one of several memorials for the superstar, it's apparent he also meant everything to them.
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Kobe Bryant poses for a portrait after being selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the 1996 NBA Draft on June 26, 1996 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York.
AP
Los Angeles Lakers general manager Jerry West boldly trades his starting center, Vlade Divac, to the Charlotte Hornets for Bryant, a 17-year-old prodigy from the Philadelphia suburbs by way of Italy. Nearly two decades later, Bryant has become the top scorer in the history of the 16-time NBA champion franchise, which happened to be his favorite team growing up.
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
Kobe Bryant #8 of the Los Angeles Lakers goes up for one of his slam dunks that won first place in the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest at Gund Arena on February 8, 1997 in Cleveland, Ohio.
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Bryant has 26 points and 10 rebounds against the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, teaming with Shaquille O'Neal and coach Phil Jackson to lead the Lakers to their first championship together. They won it all in each of the next two seasons as well, establishing the first dynasty of the 21st Century.
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Shaquille O’Neal #34 and Kobe Bryant #8 of the Los Angeles Lakers pose for a photo after the Lakers’ 2001 NBA Championship parade held June 18, 2001 in Los Angeles, California.
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Bryant scores 30 points in the Lakers' 112-106 overtime victory over the Sacramento Kings in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, ending one of the greatest playoff series in NBA history. The Lakers swept New Jersey to win their third straight title in the anticlimactic NBA Finals.
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An ordinary Sunday home game in a mediocre Lakers season turns into magic when Bryant goes off for 81 points, the second-highest total in NBA history. He mostly did it on jumpers in a close game, hitting seven 3-pointers while going 28 for 46 from the field and 18 for 20 from the line. Sure, he only had two assists. Not a soul at Staples Center cared.
Harry How/Getty Images)
(L-R) Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant and Chris Bosh of the United States hold their gold medals after defeating Spain 118-107 in the gold medal game during Day 16 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium on Aug. 24, 2008 in Beijing, China.
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President Barack Obama (R) poses for photographs with Kobe Bryant (C), Derek Fisher and members of the National Basketball Association 2009 champions Los Angeles Lakers in the East Room of the White House January 25, 2010 in Washington, DC. The Lakers bested the Orlando Magic to win the NBA Finals in 2009.
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Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates after winning over the Boston Celtics in Game Seven of the 2010 NBA Finals on June 17, 2010 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
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Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers walks towards the tunnel after scoring 60 points against the Utah Jazz at Staples Center on April 13, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.
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Kobe Bryant smiles at halftime as both his #8 and #24 Los Angeles Lakers jerseys are retired at Staples Center on December 18, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story included an error about the location of the memorials. They were located at L.A. Live.
