The City of Moreno Valley will honor the late NBA star Kobe Bryant tonight with a special purple and gold lighting of the conic "M" on Box Springs Mountain.
"Kobe Bryant was one of the greatest basketball players of all time," explains Dr. Yxstian Gutierrez, Mayor of Moreno Valley, in a press release, "and over his 20-year career and after, he had become a beloved member of the Southern California community. In recognition of all those killed, and in honor of Kobe's achievements and the high esteem in which his memory will always be held by so many of us in Moreno Valley, we'll light the M for them tonight."
Nine people perished in the helicopter crash that took the life of Bryant, along with his 13 year old daughter Brianna. Other victims included Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa, Christina Mauser, and Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton, according to CBS LA. NBC Los Angeles identified the pilot as Ara Zobayan.
Almost nightly, the Box Springs Mountain "M" is lit in various colors in recognition of causes and people especially important to the community.
