Disneyland Pays Tribute to Kobe Bryant in More Ways Than One
Disneyland paid tribute to their frequent guest, the late Kobe Bryant, and his daughter Gianna this week, days after their passing.
Disney’s Fab 5 — Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Pluto — all joined in on a huddle and did Bryant’s iconic jump shot pose together. Fans looked on in amazement and captured the moment on video.
Aside from the characters’ sweet tribute, a Disney fan edited a photo of Space Mountain to seem like it was lit with the Los Angeles Lakers’ signature purple and yellow colors.
To signify his legacy even more, the park also turned off the No. 8 vehicle on Dumbo the Flying Elephant in Fantasyland, which was reportedly one of Bryant’s family’s favorite rides. Cast members at the park reportedly put a cover over the vehicle to honor Kobe and Gianna.
Disney CEO Bob Iger shared two tweets to honor the fallen legend. “Our company @Disney mourns the tragic loss of @kobebryant… one of the most respected & popular athletes of our time… a friend and a fan of ours, full of life and taken from us too soon,” he wrote in a statement.
Aside from the company’s sweet tributes, a Disney fan edited a photo of Space Mountain to seem like it was lit with the Los Angeles Lakers’ signature purple and yellow colors.
Bryant previously spoke about his love for the park during a fan Q&A session where one guest asked what his favorite ride was.”I enjoy Soarin’ Over California,” Bryant replied.
He added that he recently took his family to Disney’s California Adventure. “You see that big ferris wheel they have? We didn’t realize how big the thing was, so we took our kids on that thing … we thought child services was gonna be waiting for us when we got off!”
Bryant and his wife Vanessa previously celebrated their 20th anniversary at the theme park. Most recently, they attended Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
The NBA icon frequently attended Disney events and participated in parades at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World in Orlando.
