“Kobe Bryant was the heartbeat of Los Angeles”

A crowd pays tribute to the Lakers legend in front of the Staples Center where he took his five NBA championship rings

It hasn't been an hour since they started skip phone alerts with the death of Kobe Bryant and his unconditional have already erected a small altar in front of the Staples Center, the house where the angel legend became eternal conquering five titles of the NBA. In front of the generous bouquet of flowers with the colors of the Lakers, A small crowd congregates silently and stares at the ground. Many do not strive to contain tears. It is hard to digest the blow.

The Commotion in Los Angeles is brutal. As palpable as the sudden proliferation of T-shirts with the number 24 and Bryant's name behind his back on the streets, on a pilgrimage to the vicinity of the stadium where the Lakers and Clippers play. One of them is Kherson Castle He has glassy eyes and crossed arms, with a serious countenance and without taking his eyes off the giant screen where Bryant's fixed image and the date of his life tour already dominates: 1978-2020.

Castillo says he has a broken heart without words. He was the one true beat of my city, Los Angeles, “he shares excitedly.” He was like a family member, a person to whom I've been following since he began his career in 1984, Someone I saw go from being a teenager to a man. I just needed to be here to fire him. ”

Caldern Crystal neither can he with the sadness of the moment and explodes to cry in front of the cameras of the channel NBC “This is not real,” he repeats screaming and broken with pain. “I can't believe it. It's horrible.” Then, more serenely, remember that you got to know the NBA star in the presentation of a book in Barnes & Noble, a chain of bookstores. “I spent 14 hours queuing to see him and I treat myself with a lot of love. He was an incredible man. We're going to miss him a lot.”

Behind her, another birth angel, Matthew Romero, that he thinks it would take a long time for Bryant to digest for the connection he had with the working class of the city. “This is full of Latinos and African Americans because it was a kind of truth, with a commendable work ethic that did not seek to be a star but one more, and that people loved.”

In a few minutes the square is filled and the police presence increases. It is Grammys Sunday and downtown Los Angeles is slowly becoming a pressure cooker. They are celebrated precisely in the Staples Center Among the Lakers fans and the citizens who have come to say goodbye to the myth, the guests of the music prizes are also mixed. The contrast is at least picturesque. Yellow basketball jerseys mixed with print heels, ball gowns and men dressed in tuxedos. The only common denominator is sadness and shock.

Among the ro of people circulating among the Nokia Theater and the Staples Center passes the Puerto Rican musician David Snchez, Grammy nominated for best Latin jazz album. “I'm very happy to be in the Grammy, it's an honor, but I'm not going to lie to you, this is a very black cloud for these awards,” he says. “This affects everything because nobody expected it, obviously. Kobe inspire me as an artist, although in another discipline, for its consistency, its passion, its authenticity. It's a sad day. ”

Minutes later another familiar face emerges, Danny Trejo, although completely oblivious to the Grammy and delivered to the cause of firing Bryant. “Kobe Bryant was Los Angeles and I had to be here, “says the actor of Machete Y Spy Kids to THE WORLD while greeting the curious who are recognizing him in the crowd. “I made an announcement with him and he was a really great guy. A star, an icon and someone who always remembered his followers. Besides, he was the greatest Laker of all time. It's very hard for him to be gone.”