Luka Dončić is stepping in to help repair a vandalized mural honoring former Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant.
Dončić’s foundation donated $5,000 on Tuesday to a fundraiser launched to help repair a Bryant mural in downtown Los Angeles, which was vandalized in recent days, according to The Los Angeles Times.
The mural featured Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, and included the words “Mambas Forever” in Lakers colors. The mural is one of countless tributes in the Los Angeles area that popped up after Bryant, Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in 2020. There is a new statue honoring both Bryant and Gianna outside of Crypto.com Arena, too.
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It’s unclear who vandalized the mural or why, though it was tagged like plenty of other graffiti vandalism that has become popular throughout the city in recent years.
“Kobe is L.A.,” Dončić said about the donation, via The Times. “He and Gigi mean so much to this city, to the Lakers organization and to me personally. I’m happy to do anything to help make sure he and his daughter are honored.”
Dončić was dealt to the Lakers by the Dallas Mavericks earlier this season in one of the most shocking trades in recent NBA memory. He’s helped lift the team up in the Western Conference standings and into the playoffs, though they trail the Minnesota Timberwolves 3-1 in their opening-round series heading into Wednesday night’s Game 5 matchup in Los Angeles.
The mural in question, per The Times, had been untouched since it was finished in 2020. The artist plans to repair it and place a protective coat of paint on it with the donation from Dončić and others through a GoFundMe.
“Your love, appreciation and support for this mural means everything to me and is what makes Los Angeles so strong [and] beautiful,” the artist, Louis “Sloe” Motions told The Times.
