Filipino fans painted a mural of the late NBA great Kobe Bryant at the Tenement basketball court in Taguig, where basketball is both a pastime and a passion for city dwellers.
The Tenement Visual Artists remembers one year since Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash with his daughter, Gianna. Their untimely demise was among the many tragedies of 2020.
"Habang pinipinta po namin yun napapaluha nalang po kami. Kahit hindi namin kamag-anak, hindi namin nakikita, hindi namin nakakasama araw-araw, masakit para sa amin eh," TVA member Jerry Gabo said, mirroring sentiments of a nation enamored by basketball, mostly thanks to Bryant.
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The group said he was the Michael Jordan of their generation, and his death brought so much grief they turned to art for comfort. They first painted Kobe and Gianna right after their deaths, which gained their group a lot of attention.
"Yung impact ng pagkawala niya, saka namin narealize nung habang ginawa namin yung art work, yung unang Kobe, nakikita namin yung sympathy tsaka yung pagdadalamhati ng mga tao. So, habang dumadami yung pumupunta dito, dun namin narealize ito palang ginagawa natin, mahalagang-mahalaga sa kanila," he said.
Watch this #SummitOriginals for more of their story:
