kobebryant/shariawash/InstagramKobe Bryant’s older sister has got a tribute tattoo to remember her late brother and niece Gianna by, following their tragic deaths last month.
Sharia Washington shared a picture of her new ink yesterday, February 26, just two days after Kobe and Gianna’s 20,000-people strong memorial service at the Staples Center.
The tattoo consists of a large black snake looped into an infinity sign with the numbers 24 and 2.
Kobe and Gianna’s basketball jersey numbers were 24 and 2 respectively, while the black snake is in reference to Kobe’s nickname, ‘Black Mamba’.
Sharing the picture on Instagram, Sharia simply thanked her tattooist in the caption, letting the large tattoo speak for itself.
Sharia isn’t the only one to have got a tribute tattoo – just days after Kobe’s passing, basketball star LeBron James got a tattoo to remember him by.
James has always named him as one of his heroes, and Kobe’s last tweet was actually congratulating 35-year-old James on topping his own record on the list of the highest scorers in NBA history.
PA ImagesSimilar to Sharia’s, James’s tattoo was a black mamba snake with ‘Mamba 4 life’ written underneath it.
Bryant gave himself the nickname ‘Black Mamba’ early on in his 20 season-long career because he described himself as a ‘killer snake’ when he stepped on court.
Lakers Football workout before practice.. Lebron looks NFL ready 🔥 Lakers team ran routes and completed agility training on the Football field as apart of offload work and team bonding. @TroyDaniels30 @AntDavis23 @KingJames @rajonrondo @kylekuzma @QCook323 pic.twitter.com/o90M0ptENC
— Swish Cultures (@swishcultures_) January 30, 2020
Symbolically, the memorial for Kobe and Gianna was held on February 24, with the numbers 24 and 2 in mind.
The star-studded event was attended by more than 20,000 people and featured performances from the likes of Usher, Alicia Keys and Beyoncé.
Former basketball legend Michael Jordan also paid a heartfelt tribute to his late friend.
Niamh ShackletonJordan spoke for 10 minutes, talking about his ‘little brother’ Bryant and how a piece of him died when Kobe passed away.
The 57-year-old said in his tribute:
All of us have brothers and sisters, little brothers, little sisters who for whatever reason tend to get in your stuff. Your closet, your shoes. Everything. He was a nuisance, if I could say that word, but that nuisance turned into love over a period of time. Just because of the admiration that they have for you. The questions, wanting to know every little detail.
When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died. And as I look in this arena and across the globe, a piece of you died.
Kobe and Gianna are survived by Kobe’s wife Vanessa, and their three other daughters, Natalia, Bianka and Capri.
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Niamh Shackleton is a pint sized person and journalist at UNILAD. After studying Multimedia Journalism at the University of Salford, she did a year at Caters News Agency as a features writer in Birmingham before deciding that Manchester is (arguably) one of the best places in the world, and therefore moved back up north. She’s also UNILAD’s unofficial crazy animal lady.