Spray Cans and Sunset Hues: A Lakers Mural for the Ages
In the heart of Los Angeles, where the streets are adorned with murals that pay homage to the legends of basketball, a new piece of art is capturing the imagination of fans and passersby alike. Arutyun Gozukuchikyan, a dedicated artist with a passion for the Los Angeles Lakers, has created a mural that not only celebrates the arrival of Luka Doncic to the team but also honors the memory of the late Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna.
Gozukuchikyan, who moved to America at the tender age of five, has been painting since his middle school days. His journey as an artist began in Armenia, his home country, and has since blossomed into a lifelong passion. A Lakers fan since 1992, Gozukuchikyan has always found inspiration in the team and its legendary players. So, when the news broke that Luka Doncic was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers, he knew he had to capture this momentous occasion in his art.
“I never thought he was gonna come to [the] Lakers,” Gozukuchikyan told ESPN, reflecting on the blockbuster trade that brought Doncic to Los Angeles. With each stroke of his spray can, he refined the details of a mural that would soon become a viral sensation. The mural, located on Melrose Ave., just 10 miles from Crypto.com Arena, depicts a moment from the last Lakers game Bryant and his daughter Gianna attended in December 2019. It shows Doncic and Kobe sharing a postgame high-five, both with wide smiles, after Bryant famously heckled Doncic in Slovenian mid-game.
Doncic, during his Lakers introductory news conference, reminisced about that special moment. “I remember the exact moment that that happened. It will always stay in my mind. It was an amazing moment,” he said. “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 over Los Angeles, Gozukuchikyan’s mural was still a work in progress, but the blueprint was clear. An onlooker captured the moment with a photograph, and a quick AirDrop later, the mural was on its way to becoming an internet sensation. “It was just Luka up in this white background and the sky looked so crazy, like vibrant colors,” Gozukuchikyan said. “So I was like wow what an epic picture, I’m posting this. And yeah, it just started from there.”
Gozukuchikyan shared the photos on his Instagram, @artoon_art, and the post quickly gained traction. 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, garnering thousands of views.
For Gozukuchikyan, the mural was a labor of love. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly how many colors or spray cans of paint he used, but he estimated over 100 cans. The mural was “99.5 percent” spray can, with brushes used for the finer details. The final piece features a multicolored backdrop, echoing the sunset from the original post. “I wanted to draw the crowd, the blue from the sky. And since the [Paul Smith] pink wall is across the street, I wanted to pull that pink in there too,” he explained. “So in a way just Lakers colors with the surrounding colors I see around me.”
Bryant’s attire in the mural also incorporates Lakers colors, differing from the original image. During the game, he wore an orange WNBA hoodie with a midnight green Philadelphia Eagles beanie. Gozukuchikyan made Bryant’s hoodie purple and his beanie gold, aligning with the Lakers’ iconic color palette. “I had to give the L.A. colors,” he said.
The mural has drawn fans from far and wide, with some traveling up to 50 miles to see it. One person even teared up at the sight of Doncic alongside Bryant. “I think Kobe brings more [of] the emotion part, but I don’t know,” Gozukuchikyan said. “Luka is very loved.”
Typically, Gozukuchikyan’s work goes viral after completion, but this time, the tide flipped. He 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 love and attention from the public. While working on the mural, he estimated that he talked to people who approached him about his art “80 percent of the time.” Occasionally, the attention was so constant that he could barely find time to paint.
The mural’s location in front of the Paul Smith pink wall, a tourist attraction in Los Angeles, possibly contributed to the crowd of onlookers. Doncic himself shared a post of Gozukuchikyan’s mural on his Instagram story last Monday, further cementing its status as a must-see piece of art.
Gozukuchikyan hopes the mural 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.”
Originally Written by: Anthony Gharib
