Sunday marks Kobe Bryant’s birthday. The late Los Angeles Lakers legend would have turned 42 years old. Instead, the occasion will be marked by the start of “Mamba Week,” a celebration of his career by Nike that will include the company’s first release of his signature sneakers and jersey since his death in a helicopter crash in January that claimed the lives of his daughter, Gianna, and seven others on a hillside in Calabasas, California.
Los Angeles and Orange counties are planning to honor him on Monday with “Kobe Bryant Day,” the annual date that coincides with his retired jersey numbers 8 and 24.