A t-shirt that Kobe Bryant used during 2008, when he won the regular season Most Valuable Player award for the NBA, will be exhibited in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington.
Bryant, star of Los Angeles Lakers and a five-time NBA champion, he died in a helicopter crash in January at the age of 41, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.
Bryant wore the jersey in Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, in a series the Lakers lost before taking back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. The former player donated the jersey to the museum in 2017.
“Kobe’s contributions on and off the court are remarkable,” said the museum’s acting director, Spencer Crew, it’s a statement. “As a founding donor, he understood the importance of this museum to the nation and the world.”
At NMAAHC, Kobe holds a very special place in our hearts. In the very critical stages of building our museum, Kobe and Vanessa Bryant became founding donors, giving us the boost that we needed to keep moving forward. #GameChangers pic.twitter.com/z9QOqW1NMe
— Smithsonian NMAAHC (@NMAAHC) October 19, 2020
“After postponing the installation in March due to COVID-19, we believe that now is the perfect time in history to honor his memory by putting his shirt on display.”
The museum said the Kobe Family Foundation and Vanessa Bryant contributed at least $ 1 million to the NMAAHC, showing the impact of African Americans in history.
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