The House of Representatives, led by Speaker Alan Peter “Compañero” Cayetano on Monday, honored anew the late basketball legend Kobe Bryant with an exhibit. Dubbed “Kobe”, the exhibit delighted guests and visitors of the House as it showcased Speaker Cayetano’s personal collection of Bryant’s memorabilia which included rubber shoes, jerseys, and figurines, among others.
The event opened with sports analyst and TV commentator Quinito Henson explaining the significance of Monday’s date with the numbers 2-24-2020. He said the number 2 refers to the month of February and the jersey number of Gigi, the daughter of Kobe who died with him during a plane crash last month.
The number 24 refers to Bryant’s jersey number when he retired from the LA Lakers in 2016 while 20 is the total number of years he played with the NBA. Henson thanked Speaker Cayetano for what he called a “wonderful display” of memorabilia that he shared with everyone.
Committee on Youth and Sports Development Rep. Eric Martinez (2nd District, Valenzuela City), in his remarks, urged everyone to keep the Mamba mentality, which is striving to become a better version of oneself.
Thereafter, Speaker Cayetano led the ribbon-cutting to formally open the exhibit. Aside from Martinez, also present were Reps. Cesar “Jawo” Jimenez Jr. (1st District, Zamboanga City) and Strike Revilla (2nd District, Cavite), Meralco Bolts Head Coach Norman Black, Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) players, and young players from different schools. The House put up its first “Kobe” exhibit last January 30, 2020.
