The world is still in mourning over the sudden loss of NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant. The father and daughter perished in a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., alongside seven other people last month.
Both will be publicly honored at a memorial service at the Staples Center on Monday, and were laid to rest on February 7. But ahead of today’s ceremony Kobe’s widow Vanessa Bryant shared another, more permanent tribute from her friend and Olympic gold medalist Sydney Leroux.
“#2, Leroux. Thank you for honoring my Gigi,” the 37-year-old captioned a photo of an arm bearing the number 2 tattoo. “I love you @sydneyleroux.” Vanessa’s late daughter Gigi wore #2 on her basketball jersey.
The 29-year-old soccer player is far from the only family friend who got inked in honor of Kobe and Gigi.
In early February, Shaquille O’Neal’s son debuted a series of new tattoos on his leg in honor of Kobe. Shaq and Kobe had a unique relationship—they played together on the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996 to 2004 and, despite some highly publicized feuds, always remained close.
WATCH: Shaquille O’Neal’s Son Shareef Honors Kobe Bryant With New Tattoo
Now, Shaq’s 20-year-old son Shareef has Kobe’s jersey numbers 8 and 24 on his right calf alongside an image of Kobe shooting a basketball towards a jersey with the number 2 emblazoned on it. And since Kobe was just as well known for his work off the court as on, Shareef also got the player’s famous slogan “Mamba Mentality” and logo inked on him.
In a previous heartbreaking post, the young athlete shared that his final communication with Kobe came in the form of an Instagram message from the basketball star—just hours before Kobe tragically died.
“This first picture were messages from THIS MORNING!!! .. I wish I didn’t sleep in so I could’ve talked to you,” Shareef captioned the screenshot of his messages with Kobe in part. “I can’t even think straight right now.. I’m glad we got to bond over the years .. not only were you a great uncle you were a coach and a mentor to me too .. I love you man.”
Fellow NBA legend LeBron James similarly honored his late friend with a permanent piece of art. Following a photo of the two sports legends sitting side-by-side on the court, LeBron posted a photo of his own new tattoo: a black mamba snake surrounded by roses, the numbers 24 and 8, and underlined with the words “Mamba 4 Life.”
Kobe and Gianna’s “Celebration Of Life” memorial is set to begin at 1PM EST.