Photo: YouTube.com

Earlier this week, a mural depicting Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, situated near Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles faced the threat of removal.

The landlord of 400 West Pico Blvd. had ordered its removal by the end of September to make space for advertisements.

The mural had been erected shortly after the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Bryant and his daughter on January 26, 2020.

In response to this removal order, Cecilia Moran, owner of Hardcore Fitness housed in the building, took the initiative by launching a petition to preserve the mural.

The petition garnered over 90,000 signatures and received support from Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow.

Consequently, the deadline for the mural’s removal was initially extended by a month.

Upon learning of the situation, Ronnie Singh, the digital marketing director for 2K Games, widely recognized as “Ronnie 2K” in the gaming community, took action.

Making the announcement on behalf of 2K Games, the studio responsible for the annual NBA 2K video game series (featuring Bryant as this year’s cover athlete), Singh revealed that a deal had been struck with the landlord.

Thanks to this agreement, the mural will be preserved for at least another year.

“For weeks and months, people have lined up in front of this beautiful mural, taking pictures. For us to be a part of saving this thing is just a celebration of basketball,” Singh told reporters on Thursday, via USA Today.

“This one means a lot to our community. It’s basketball related. It’s Kobe Bryant. Our cover star for NBA 2K24 is Kobe Bryant. It made sense for us to get involved.

“We felt a moral responsibility to jump in and say, ‘We want to make a difference.’ Not words, but actions.”

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