ITALY, WHERE Kobe Bryant grew up, will mourn the NBA legend for an entire week, it has been announced.

Bryant, 41, died alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other people after the helicopter they were travelling in crashed in Calabasas, California.

To honour his memory, every professional basketball team in Italy will take part in a moment of silence at every game played over a seven-day period.

The president of the Italian Basketball Federation, Giovanni Petrucci, told CNN: “We are shocked and saddened by what happened to him and his daughter Gianna and we hold his family close to our hearts in this moment of sorrow.”

He added: “”It’s a small gesture to honour Kobe’s memory, but one that is heartfelt and deserved.”

The former Lakers player spent a substantial amount of his childhood in Italy where he learned to speak Italian fluently and played in a youth team.

Bryant’s sudden death has prompted an outpouring of grief and public tributes around the world.

An artist in Los Angeles has created a giant mural of Gianna and Kobe with the words “Kobe and Gigi. Forever Daddy’s Girl”.

In Canada, the Toronto sign was lit in purple and gold in memory of the former Lakers player.

Yesterday, tennis player Nick Kyrgios warmed up wearing Bryant’s Number 8 jersey ahead of his fourth round match at the Australian Open.

Bryant, who was remembered at the Grammys, will also be posthumously honoured later this year when he is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

AC Milan, the team Bryant supported as a child, will wear black armbands in memory of him and the other crash victims in their match against Torino this evening.

Jerry Colangelo, the Hall of Fame chairman and former USA Basketball director told The Athletic: “Expected to be the most epic class ever with Kobe, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. Kobe will be honored the way he should be.”

Bryant was revealed to be one of the nominees in December 2019.

In a statement, the Naismith Hall of Fame said: “The Hall of Fame joins the rest of the basketball world in mourning the untimely passing of Kobe Bryant, a nominee for this year’s 20 Hoop Class and an icon of the game. We offer our sincerest condolences to the Bryant Family and those affected by this tragedy.”