ComicCon Attendee Sparks Outrage After Wearing A Kobe Bryant Helicopter Costume While Reenacting Crash
At a ComicCon convention in China, a man showed up in a Kobe Bryant costume that has left the world enraged.
The convention attendee arrived at the event dressed up as the helicopter crash that tragically killed the athlete, his daughter Gianna Bryant, and others. The crash, which occurred on January 26th, 2020, left friends, family, and fans devastated at the loss.
The man, who has not been identified, arrived clad in a Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers jersey and mask. He had constructed a helicopter out of plastic bottles and cardboard and attached them to his person.
According to TMZ, the man even went outside the event to recreate the tragedy using his costume.
Videos and pictures of this occurrence have made their way to social media. While it appears that people attending ComicCon were unbothered by the choice, the online world didn't find it funny.
Supporters have shared infuriated posts to Twitter, now known as X, expressing their rage. One account shared, "Not sure why anyone in their right mind would wear a Kobe Bryant helicopter crash costume to a comic con in China. Very tasteless, and disgusting."
Comments on the post continued the outrage. Fans have called the costume "disrespectful" and "terrible and insensitive."
This thoughtless display exhibits a great amount of disrespect towards the surviving Bryant family. As the death of Kobe and Gianna Bryant was heard around the world, the tragedy was never able to be a private family matter.
Bryant's wife Vanessa Bryant found out about the death of her husband and daughter online, a matter that she later brought to court. She sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on the grounds of negligence and invasion of privacy. According to BBC, she alleged "that officers shared graphic photos of the crash scene, including Kobe and Gianna's bodies."
In her 2021 deposition, she explained, "I was holding onto my phone, because obviously I was trying to call my husband back, and all these notifications started popping up on my phone, saying 'RIP Kobe. RIP Kobe. RIP Kobe.' "
Vanessa Bryant won the lawsuit in August 2022. She was awarded $16 million dollars by the jury.
It's unclear whether the attendee has spoken out, or apologized, for the costume.
