A newly renovated community basketball court was unveiled Monday in East Los Angeles.
In a tribute to NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, who died along with seven others in a 2020 helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, the latest Kobe and Gianna Bryant basketball court opened to the public on May 19.
With butterflies dancing across the purple and gold playing surface, enhanced by commemorative artwork and meaningful embellishments — the phrase “Play Gigi's Way” is proudly painted along the sideline.
In an Instagram post, Vanessa Bryant explained that playing “Gigi’s way” means “to play with joy, curiosity and competitiveness while never taking any opportunity for granted, just like Gigi.”
Kobe and Vanessa’s eldest daughter, Natalia Bryant was on hand for the opening at LA's Atlantic Avenue Park basketball court, and took to Instagram to share the news.
“We officially unveiled another Kobe and Gianna Bryant basketball court in LA thanks to our incredible partnership with @drinkbodyarmor 🙌 and @lacountyparks” Natalia wrote in the post. “This isn’t just a court – it’s a new home for young athletes to grow and perfect their games using their #mambamentality while they #playgigisway 🏀 #mambaforever”
In 2022, BodyArmor donated $24 million and announced a partnership with the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation—a nonprofit organization led by Vanessa Bryant and created to honor Kobe and Gianna by supporting underserved athletes.
That same year, the group committed to refurbishing at least eight public basketball courts. Today, the foundation sponsors 21 community basketball courts in honor of Kobe and Gianna Bryant across the country, including three in Los Angeles.