Vanessa Bryant labelled tragic LA Lakers icon Kobe Bryant 'The MVP of girl dads' as she paid tribute to the NBA legend at his memorial on Monday.
Los Angeles' Staples Center was packed to the rafters for a ceremony to celebrate the lives of Bryant and his teenage daughter Gianna.
Bryant, Gianna and seven others died on January 26 when the helicopter they were travelling on crashed into the side of a mountain in Calabasas.
Bryant played for the Lakers for 20 seasons, and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time.
Gianna was a promising young basketball talent who had aspirations to play for the University of Connecticut.
“Gigi was sunshine. She brightened up my day everyday,” said Vanessa.
More than 88,000 people applied for tickets to the memorial service in the first five hours, with a limited number available to the general public. The rest were reserved for friends, family and members of the NBA community.
The Staples Center has a capacity of around 20,000 people for non-sports events, but those who did not get tickets are gathering outside to pay tribute.
Beyonce also performed the song 'Halo' in tribute to Bryant, whom she first met as a teenager while in girl-band Destiny's Child, for whose single 'Bug-a-Boo' he appeared in the video.
When Vanessa Bryant and her three daughters entered the Staples Center, they were handed a standing ovation by those in attendance
Vanessa gave an emotional speech in which she described Bryant as "The MVP of girl dads", while she said of her daughter: "She was tender and loving on the inside. She had the best laugh. It was infectious. It was pure and genuine."
An emotional-looking Michael Jordan helped Vanessa down from the stage at the end of her speech in one of the iconic moments of the event.
All proceeds from ticket sales will go towards the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, which was set up following Bryant and Gianna's death.
The date of the memorial- 2/24- bears some symbolic meaning due to the fact that Bryant wore the number 24 towards the end of his career, while Gianna wore number 2 in her youth team matches.
A number of high-profile names are at the service, and Bryant's former teammate Lamar Odom was one of the stars seen in attendance.
Also reported to have been inside the Staples Centre are the likes of Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, Dwayne Wade, Doc Rivers, Steph Curry, Bill Russell and Tony Parker.
Bryant's wife and Gianna's mother Vanessa shared a tribute for her daughter on Instagram ahead of the event after women's football star Sydney Leroux had a number 2 tattooed on her arm.
"#2, Leroux. Thank you for honoring my Gigi. I love you," Vanessa posted alongside the picture.
The likes of fellow basketball legends Michael Jordan and LeBron James are also expected to be in attendance for what is sure to be a hugely emotional occasion.
