Private Funeral Held for Kobe Bryant Before Memorial

Basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his second daughter Gianna have been laid to rest in a private funeral ahead of a public memorial service.

According to their death certificates, they were buried in a cemetery in Southern California last Friday, the NBA said in a statement.

A public memorial in honor of Bryant is due to be held on Feb. 24 at Staples Center in Los Angeles – the home of the Lakers, Bryant’s team throughout his 20-year-long career.

On Jan. 26, Kobe and Gianna, 13, his second daughter, were killed in a helicopter crash outside Los Angeles, along with seven other people on board.

The helicopter, with nine people in it, was headed to a basketball tournament at Mamba Academy near Thousand Oaks. (AA)