Dallas Man Pays Tribute To Kobe Bryant With Downtown Mural

Bryant Mural
Photo credit Austin York - KRLD

DALLAS (KRLD) - One Dallas man is joining the millions in paying tribute to fallen NBA great Kobe Bryant, by doing what he does best: paint.

Artist Theo Ponchaveli is painting a mural of Bryant and his daughter at the Sanders Fit performance center on South Lamar Street.

A Dallas man is paying tribute to #KobeBryant by painting a mural at #SandersFit @KRLD pic.twitter.com/mkMkwv2HBQ

— Austin York (@realAustinYork) January 27, 2020

"I decided to paint both of them because he was on his way to coach one of his daughter's games, and it kind of symbolizes parenthood and fatherhood," Ponchaveli says.

Ponchaveli is known for painting several murals in the area including one that honored the five Dallas officers killed in an ambush in July 2016. 

Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash Sunday morning in California.

The Dallas Mavericks announced they are retiring the #24 as a way to pay tribute to Byrant's legacy.​