Thousands of celebrities, athletes flock Staples Center

Among other celebrities attending were filmmaker Spike Lee -- who was close friends with Bryant and directed a documentary on his life -- and rapper Snoop Dogg, an avid Lakers fan. Many of the fans lucky enough to nab one of the much-sought after 20,000 tickets for the memorial wore the gold and purple colors of the Lakers as they headed for the two-and-a-half hour ceremony scheduled to start at 10 am (1800 GMT) amid tight security. "Kobe meant everything for this city, for this team and for me," said Karen Sanchez, 41, as she waited with friends to enter the arena.

"I watched him play from the beginning." Marcos Rojas, 23, another ticketholder, said Bryant's January 26 death near Los Angeles had been devastating to fans like him who worshipped the player. "For me, it was like losing a friend," said Rojas who wore a Lakers jersey with Kobe's number. "I always watched him playing with my friends," he told AFP.

"I always picked Kobe to play in my video games. I couldn't leave home the day of his passing." Those attending the memorial were being given a 24-page program with pictures of Bryant and his family as well as a pin and black T-shirt featuring images of Kobe and his daughter on the back. Some of the fans paid up to $224 a ticket.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!