A small shopping center located in the heart of San Bernardino has welcomed in a new addition to their plaza. A mural dedicated to the late basketball superstar Kobe Bryant was unveiled to the public with work done by professional artist Jesus Castaneda. Located on the side of Vernon Dental Specialties Group, the mural was completed with the help and support of Manager and longtime friend of Castaneda’s, Carlos Hernandez. Castaneda is a well-known artist in the SoCal area with art installments scattered throughout the Inland Empire and Los Angeles County, & is primarily known for his enticing street art.
It took three days total of grueling and tireless work for the mural of Bryant to be fully completed, and Castaneda stated that along every step of the way he received nothing but praise for his work by both onlookers and the City of San Bernardino as well. When first hearing reports of the fatal helicopter crash that took the lives of Kobe, his daughter, and seven other passengers, Castaneda; a Los Angeles native and avid sports fan, was working on finishing up another piece at the time but knew that he had to make one commemorating the late star.
Castaneda and Hernandez took their mural proposal to the owners and upper management of Vernon Dental who were excited to be a part of this special event as they too believed that the community of San Bernardino deserved to have a place where residents could gather and remember the life of such a great individual without having to drive out 50 miles to Los Angeles, where a majority of Kobe Bryant dedicated murals are located. What was once a sleepy shopping center has brought a considerable amount of foot traffic as customers and visitors alike fill the parking lots to marvel at the striking likeness of the basketball player sporting his iconic number 24 Los Angeles Lakers jersey and a quote from the late athlete who was known for his motivational statements stating “You have to keep moving, you have to keep going. Put one foot in front of the other, smile & just keep on rolling."
Complimented as well with a silhouette in the right hand corner of Kobe and Gianna Bryant with both father and daughter wearing their respective jerseys. Fans have also taken it upon themselves to show their respects by leaving candles and flowers at the scene of the mural.