A masked artist replicated Kobe Bryant's famous Los Angeles Lakers jersey using flowers in an effort to honor the late basketball star at Michal Jordan's 57th birthday party in Chicago, Illinois.
The artist, who's also created a floral statue of one of Jordan's Nike sneakers, is believed to be a New York-based artist known as Mr. Flower Fantastic. He creates sculpture using a variety of different flowers, including roses, tulips, lilies, and orchids, according to his website and he wears a mask due to a pollen allergy.
Memorials and street art have popped up around the world since the famous athlete died in a helicopter crash in last month.
—L.A. Times Sports (@latimessports) February 15, 2020
Mr. Flower Fantastic's memorial art wouldn't be the first time the floral artist created pieces in respect to the National Basketball Association (NBA). His portfolio includes similar flower statues of Jordan's popular Nike sneakers, a 7-foot tall statue of the NBA's logo using 7,000 blooms.
Last year, the artist appeared on NBC's 'Today" show, creating a statue of a horse made of 25,000 roses leading up to the 2019 Kentucky Derby. He was also featured at ComplexCon in 2018, which is an annual convention organized by Complex Magazine.
Tweets from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN indicate that the artist created the piece at Michael Jordan's party in Chicago, though neither outlet explicitly identified the artist or said who had commissioned the work.
Requests to comment to Mr. Flower Fantastic and representatives for Michael Jordan were not returned.
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