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JUDY WOODRUFF: Finally tonight, the city of Los Angeles, the Lakers, the sport of basketball, and fans worldwide said goodbye to Kobe Bryant and his daughter today. They and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash last month. John Yang has this look at an emotional ceremony.
JOHN YANG: 2/24/20, Los Angeles comes together to mourn its iconic 24, the late L.A. Laker Kobe Bryant, and his daughter Gianna, who wore uniform No. 2, more than 20,000 people, a sea of purple and gold at the Staples Center known as the house that Kobe built.
BEYONCE KNOWLES, Musician: I'm here because I love Kobe.
JOHN YANG: The event, which Bryant's family wanted to be as much a celebration as a memorial, began with a tribute from Beyonce. One of the most powerful moments, remarks from Vanessa Bryant, Kobe's wife and the mother of Gianna, who was known as Gigi.
VANESSA BRYANT, Widow of Kobe Bryant: God knew they couldn't be on this earth without each other. He had to bring them home to heaven together.
Babe, you take care of our Gigi. We love and miss you, Boo Boo and Gigi. May you both rest in peace and have fun in heaven, until we both meet again one day.
JOHN YANG: Speakers included star athletes and celebrities.
MICHAEL JORDAN, Former NBA Basketball Player: Now he's got me... I will have look at another crying meme for the next...
JOHN YANG: Basketball great Michael Jordan.
MICHAEL JORDAN: I promise you, from this day forward, I will live with the memories of knowing that I had a little brother that I tried to help in every way I could. Please, rest in peace, little bro.
JOHN YANG: Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, a rising basketball player in her own right, died in a January helicopter crash. The WNBA Phoenix Mercury's Diana Taurasi.
DIANA TAURASI, WNBA Basketball Player: The same passion we all recognized in Kobe, obviously, Gigi inherited. Her skill was undeniable at an early age. I mean, who has a turn-away fade-away jumper at 11? LeBron barely got it today.
JOHN YANG: Also on the helicopter that day, two of Gigi's basketball teammates and their parents, one of their coaches and the pilot. Today, Vanessa Bryant filed a wrongful death suit against the helicopter operator. Bryant became a Laker at just 17. During his 20 years on the team, he brought home five NBA championships and an MVP title. When he retired in 2016, he was number three in career points. Former teammate
Shaquille O'Neal: SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, Former NBA Basketball Player: Kobe and I pushed one another to play some of the greatest basketball of all time, and I am proud that no other team has accomplished what the three-peat Lakers have done since Shaq and the Kobe Lakers did it.
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL: But make no mistake. Even when folks thought we were on bad terms, when the cameras were turned off, he and I would throw a wink at each and say, let's go whoop some ass.
JOHN YANG: His career was tarnished by a 2003 rape charge involving a woman in Colorado. The criminal charges were dismissed, and a civil case was settled out of court. Bryant initially said the encounter was consensual, but later issued a statement apologizing to the woman and acknowledging that she didn't and doesn't view this incident the same way I did. In retirement, Bryant was a vocal supporter for women's basketball and moved into new arenas, including movies. He wrote and narrated Dear Basketball, which won the 2018 Oscar for best animated short film. Today, it closed the ceremony.
KOBE BRYANT, Former NBA Basketball Player: Love you always, Kobe.
JOHN YANG: For the PBS NewsHour, I'm John Yang.
