PICTURES: Kobe, daughter's tearful memorial lights up LA's Staples Center

“Kobe lived to make other people’s lives better, all the way up to his final text,” Pelinka said. Among the early arriving fans was Alyssa Shapiro, 27, of Huntington Beach, who said she was inspired to become a basketball player after watching countless Lakers games with her father. The family’s love of the game — and Bryant’s work ...