NBA
Lakers’ Luka Doncic covers restoration cost for vandalized Kobe mural
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated14 hours ago on April 30, 2025
The famous mural depicting depicting Kobe and Gigi Bryant in downtown Los Angeles has been vandalized, and Luka Doncic has stepped up to cover the entire cost of the restoration. The guard paid a $5,000 donation this Tuesday to cover the goal of a GoFundMe page created by artist Louie Palsino.
The painter is now set to the mural titled “Mambas Forever,” at 14th and Main streets. “It was always important to give back to the community,” the Slovenian said after Tuesday’s practice at the Lakers‘ training facility. “They gave me so much, so I just want to give back.”
As Palsino learned about the donation, he told the press that he was grateful and added that Luka was “representing us the right way,” from the start. “I’d like to say thank you to Luka and I’m proud he is a Laker now and representing Los Angeles and I know Kobe is proud,” he told the Los Angeles Times.
The artist then added: “I’m sure this alone will have him in the hearts of everyone in Los Angeles.” This is the least that can be done for Kobe, who spent his entire 20-year career with the purple and gold, conquering five championships and becoming the top scorer in club history.
Bryant was recently in the news as a jersey photo-matched to seven games in his 1996-97 rookie season for the Lakers, sold for $7 million at Sotheby’s last week. Back in 2012, the jersey last sold for $115,242 at auction and has now set a new record for any of his sports collectibles.
“Debut games are truly one-of-a-kind moments in an athlete’s career,” said Sotheby’s head of modern collectibles, Brahm Wachter. “They mark the nascency of an extraordinary journey, and for iconic athletes like Kobe Bryant, these milestones hold even more significance as they represent a singular moment in time that can never be replicated.”
Now this $7 million Bryant jersey has become the fourth-most-expensive game-worn sports jersey of all time, only Babe Ruth’s $24 million “called shot”, Michael Jordan’s $10.1 million “Last Dance” jersey and Diego Maradona’s $9.3 million “Hand of God” Argentina jersey from the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
