The sports world and beyond continue to mourn the tragic death of Kobe Bryant earlier this year, and perhaps no region in America has grieved the Los Angeles Lakers legend’s passing more intensely than Orange County.
On Tuesday, the Orange County Board of Supervisors overwhelmingly passed a resolution declaring that Aug. 24 will be “Kobe Bryant Day,” according to TMZ Sports.
“Kobe Bryant was a basketball legend that inspired so many globally to pursue their dreams and taught us that hard work truly pays off,” the resolution says.
Officials even spell out how fans can celebrate KBD — “By engaging in community building, helping young people in need, encouraging aspiring youth to follow their dreams, and living by Bryant’s words: ‘The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they could be great in whatever they want to do.'”
The board settled on Aug. 24 for the special full-day salute because Bryant wore No. 8 and No. 24 during his Hall of Fame career.
Bryant resided in Orange County for most of his iconic two-decade run with the Lakers. While Board Supervisor Don Wagner admitted Bryant was not perfect, the good works he performed and the way he lived his life for the most part merited the tribute.
“Kobe Bryant’s life, like each one of us who ever lived, presents moments to celebrate and to condemn,” Wagner said, per CBS Los Angeles. “Kobe, like all of us, faced challenges, challenges of his own making and challenges thrown at him by life, that he overcome. Today, we celebrate the effort in overcoming those challenges.”
Bryant perished along with daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., on Jan. 26. There unsurprisingly has been an outpouring of tributesacross the globe since his death that memorialize an NBA icon whose influence went far beyond the basketball court. It’s safe to say Kobe Bryant Day in Orange County will not be the last, either.
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