You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Sold out.
This Kobe Bryant tribute mask will be worn by John Gibson tonight as the #NHLDucks take on the Lightning at @HondaCenter.
“Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise.” The words of the late Kobe Bryant, whose life was tragically cut short at the age of 41. This commemorative special edition magazine honoring Kobe Bryant is divided into two sections: “Kobe is Gone, Never to Be Forgotten,” which includes intimate coverage from the week of Bryant’s death as well as reporting on Kobe’s second act as a devoted family man, producer, businessman, and his legacy both on and off the court. The numbers 8 and 24 were a must, as was the Black Mamba logo.
LA Times Collection.
Back in Fairbury, Ennis’ cellphone would not stop buzzing with calls and texts.“I thought it might get some traction,” he says. His masks got noticed by an assistant equipment manager for the Blues, who introduced him to goalie Brian Elliott.The New York native played hockey growing up but saw his career on the ice get cut short by injury at 19. KOBE BRYANT LAKERS Final Game LA Times Newspaper special TRIBUTE sections. He kept to this schedule for two days.Bryant’s uniform numbers — the largest purple-and-gold elements — fit nicely on each side of the mask. Lakers fan Ron Bonilla pays tribute to Kobe Bryant by driving his truck with a KNG KOBE license plate and a Lakers flag at half-mast. Not in a million years.”So many things might have gone wrong. Gibson had said: “I don’t want it to look like a Kings mask.”As Ennis started to paint, working freehand, an imaginary conversation played through his head.“What if Kobe came to me and said, ‘I want something for my man cave,’ ” he says.
“It just sort of blew up.”Television and print media ran stories nationwide. Ennis marvels at the fact that he got swept up in the saga of Bryant’s death, that he could be a part of the grieving process for fans.“I think about all the masks I’ve done,” he says. Before that, he covered USC’s football program and athletic department. The goalie would usually give the artist a few ideas, then get out of the way.“I’ve never been the most creative guy,” Gibson says. Gary Klein covers the Los Angeles Rams for the Los Angeles Times. This book tells the story of Kobe Bryant’s career through LA Times news articles and captures every success that the Lakers’ Shooting Guard ever achieved. The artist added five stars for each of the Lakers’ championship victories with Bryant, one star for his 81-point game, and placed a large Ducks logo on the crown.“Obviously, I had to take a lot of things off my list,” he says. However, he could DH soon.The U.S. Navy is investigating a demonstration at the Navy SEAL Museum in Florida that featured dogs attacking a man wearing a Colin Kaepernick jersey.Right fielder Mookie Betts, who is dealing with a sore middle finger, will not start against the San Diego Padres on Monday.Noah Ennis, a helmet and hockey mask painter, works on a design in his shop, Shell Shock Custom Paint, in Fairbury, Neb.
John Vanbiesbrouck wore the logo of his Florida Panthers taken to an extreme, big and gold and gleaming.A goalie once came to Cipra asking for naked women on his mask; the artist talked him into adding bikinis. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Looking back on more than a decade in the business, Cipra misses a time when he could paint simple scenes. He might have wavered in painting a thin line. In a shop spattered with paint and hockey posters on the wall, Ennis got to work removing the cage, back plate and straps, sanding the shell and coating it with primer.Basketball had him thinking of a streetwise vibe, something rough and gritty, but the colors presented a challenge. Ducks goalie John Gibson wears a mask honoring the life of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant during a game against the Lightning on Jan. 31.John Gibson wears his Kobe Bryant tribute mask Jan. 31.Boston Bruins goalie Gerry Cheevers shows off his now legendary mask in May 1976.Noah Ennis, a helmet and hockey mask painter, works in his shop, Shell Shock Custom Paint, in Fairbury, Neb. Curtis Joseph, known as “Cujo,” favored a snarling dog from the Stephen King novel. One of his regular customers was calling from California, probably wanting to give him some work.Though his small studio is tucked away in southeast Nebraska, hundreds of miles from the nearest NHL arena, Ennis gets calls from all around the league.
The L.A. skyline seemed like a nice touch.His concept was set by the time the mask arrived by overnight delivery. Drivers on Lake Avenue in Pasadena honked their horns late Sunday afternoon as Ron Bonilla drove his black-matte 2007 Toyota Tundra — with personal license plate KNG KOBE and a Lakers flag at half-mast — through traffic.Bonilla, 48, has been a Lakers fan since 1979, when Magic Johnson joined the team.“I’ve never felt so connected to any athlete or artist or entertainer as I felt with Kobe,” said Bonilla, proudly wearing Bryant’s No.