There’s always a few athletes that cross over into almost superhero world,” said an artist whose mural became a site of mourning when the N.B.A. star died in a helicopter crash.

A wave of tributes poured in online to commemorate the life of the late Kobe Bryant, whose 2020 death shook the sports world.

Somehow, with all that has happened between that awful moment and now, it remains surreal and hard to believe that it was five years ago today that Kobe Bean Bryant, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others,