Kobe mural unveiled, Santa Monica Ferris wheel to light up for `Mamba Day’

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - On "Mamba Day'' -- the annual L.A. celebration of the life and career of the late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant -- a giant outdoor mural was unveiled near downtown today, while the Santa Monica Pier's Ferris wheel will be lit up in purple and gold starting at sunset.The unofficial remembrance of Bryant, who was nicknamed "Black Mamba,'' takes place every Aug. 24 -- or 8/24, in a nod to the uniform numbers 8 and 24 that he wore during his 20-year Hall of Fame career.Both his numbers were retired by the Lakers in 2017, the year after he hung up his sneakers, making him the first NBA player to have two numbers retired by the same team.Bryant, who died Jan. 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash in Calabasas that also took the lives of his 13-year-old daughter Gian