Luka Doncic and Kobe Bryant Immortalized in L.A. Mural: A Tribute to Lakers Legacy

With each stroke of a spray can, Arutyun Gozukuchikyan brought to life a mural that captures the essence of two basketball legends, Luka Doncic and Kobe Bryant. Located on Melrose Ave., just 10 miles from Crypto.com Arena, the mural depicts a poignant moment from the last Lakers game Bryant and his daughter Gianna attended in December 2019.

Gozukuchikyan, a lifelong Lakers fan, was inspired to create this piece after the blockbuster trade that sent Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers. The mural shows Doncic and Bryant sharing a postgame high-five, both with wide smiles, after Bryant famously heckled Doncic in Slovenian mid-game.

"I remember the exact moment that that happened. It will always stay in my mind. It was an amazing moment," said Doncic in his Lakers introductory news conference. "Just for Kobe to know my name was amazing for me. I just wish Kobe and Gigi were here to see this moment."

As the sun set, Gozukuchikyan's mural was still coming together, but the blueprint was there. He was deep in his work when an onlooker showed him photos they captured. A quick AirDrop later and Gozukuchikyan's quiet project had gone viral.

"It was just Luka up in this white background and the sky looked so crazy, like vibrant colors," he said. "So I was like wow what an epic picture, I'm posting this. And yeah, it just started from there."

Gozukuchikyan posted them on his Instagram, @artoon_art, and it gained steam. The page @Kobemural, which documents public murals of Kobe and Gianna worldwide, teased the piece on social media with a video of it before completion that quickly garnered thousands of views.

People drove from up to 50 miles to see his latest creation. One person teared up seeing Doncic alongside Bryant.

"I think Kobe brings more [of] the emotion part, but I don't know," Gozukuchikyan said. "Luka is very loved."

Typically, his work goes viral after it is completed -- similar to his mural honoring the Bryants. This time, the tide flipped. Gozukuchikyan explained that mural artists prefer to work quickly when their piece goes viral, as they don't see it as finished yet.

However, he appreciated the people showing love.

While working on the mural, Gozukuchikyan estimated that he talked to people who approached him about his art "80 percent of the time." Occasionally, the attention was so constant, he said, that he could barely find time to paint.

The piece is located in front of the Paul Smith pink wall, a tourist attraction in Los Angeles that possibly contributed to the crowd of onlookers.

Doncic shared a post of Gozukuchikyan's mural on his Instagram story last Monday.

Gozukuchikyan hopes the piece can make the 25-year-old star feel welcomed enough to play at his best, while marking his transition as potentially the next Lakers great.

"Everybody that's walking by is kind of on the same page as me," Gozukuchikyan said while finishing the mural. "I kind of fell off with the Lakers these last few years, but now, Luka's going to make it fun to watch again."