Los Angeles hosts emotional send off for Kobe Bryant

A gallery of basketball legends joined thousands of Kobe Bryant fans in Los Angeles on Monday. The "Celebration of Life" memorial at the Staples Center featured an emotional address by Bryant's widow Vanessa.

KOBE BRYANT'S WIFE, VANESSA BRYANT said "Kobe and I have been together since I was 17-and-a-half years old. I was his first girlfriend, his first love, his wife, his best friend, his confidant and his protector. He was the most amazing husband. Kobe loved me more than I could ever express or put into words. He was the early bird and I was the night owl, I was fire and he was ice, and vice versa at times. We balanced each other out. He would do anything for me. I have no idea how I deserved a man that loved and wanted me more than Kobe."

Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and former Bryant teammate Shaquille O'Neal were among the Basketball Hall of Famers who attended the memorial, which opened with a performance by singer Beyonce and a montage of Bryant's on-court highlights. Bryant, 41, and the others were killed on Jan. 26 in a crash in Calabasas, California, while en route to a youth basketball tournament at which Kobe was planning to coach his daughter and her teammates.