Grana (2022) 

Nikkolas Smith and Odeith

DESCRIPTION:  25-foot high by 125-foot wide portrait mural of Kobe Bryant, including an image of his daughter Gianna Bryant 



Smith and Odeith's design depicts Bryant's image in black and white, flanked on the left by a mamba snake and on the right by a group of children playing basketball on top of a giant book, representing Bryant’s Epoca book series. The group of children includes the image of Bryant's 13-year old daughter, Gianna.  

The mural pays tribute to Bryant's creative and philanthropic efforts after his 20-year basketball career, such as his series of children's books and his support of veterans and the homeless.  Smith and Odeith intentionally designed this portrait mural of Kobe Bryant to not be a sports mural or Lakers franchise mural, unlike portrait murals highlighting his Lakers sports legacy and the Lakers franchise.  The mural was sponsored in part by Branded Arts.

Artist's statement:  "We wanted to weave that grana throughout the piece, show both sides of Kobe, his athletic genius, his creative genius and my side is specifically focused on Gigi Bryant, her as that ball of energy and hope and joy that she always was."  Nikkolas Smith, artist and activist. 


Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and others died on January 26, 2020 in a helicopter accident.  In tribute to Bryant's cultural legacy the mural was dedicated on Mamba Day, August 24, 2022, reflecting Bryant's basketball jersey numbers 8 and 24.

LOCATION: 1145 S. Hope Street, facing 12th Street, South Park, Los Angeles, California, USA
DETAIL(Image of Gianna Bryant; artist's signature):