It appears that LA hospitals have seemingly banned the name Kobe in honor of the late Kobe Bryant. According to rumors circulating, hospitals in Los Angeles will stop registering the name ‘Kobe’ out of respect for the late professional basketball player starting in 2026.
Claim suggesting hospitals are banning the name ‘Kobe’ out of respect to late NBA star debunked
It appears LA hospitals will seemingly not allow parents to name their newborn babies Kobe out of respect for the late NBA star. Kobe Bean Bryant was a shooting guard who spent his entire career playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association, or NBA.
Trending Sports Pod stated on their Instagram, “Rumor around the block is that starting in 2026, LA hospitals will not accept people with the name Kobe out of respect for the late Kobe Bryant.”
The basketball legend passed away tragically in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020, in Calabasas, Los Angeles. Unfortunately, Bryant and his daughter Gianna died in the helicopter crash. Celebrities, friends, and basketball fans around the world mourned their unfortunate death.
Interestingly, following Bryant and his daughter’s demise, various media outlets reported a surge in the names “Kobe” and “Gianna” as popular baby names. BabyCenter released its list of the most popular baby names of 2020. According to the list, the name Kobe increased in popularity by 175 percent and Gianna by a whopping 216 percent.
Additionally, the U.S. Social Security Administration reported that American parents favored Kobe and Gianna as names for their newborns. In 2020, 1,500 families named their newborn Kobe, representing 0.082 percent of the total male births. Also, 55 girls were named Kobe, including basketball player Kevin Pillar (via PEOPLE and Newsweek).
However, there is no concrete evidence that LA hospitals have banned the name Kobe starting in 2026. As of writing, the Hoops Crave post has garnered 47K likes, 1.2K comments, 1.7K retweets, and 3.2K saves.
One fan commented, “I love Kob, but this doesn’t make any sense, tbh. It’s a name; it wasn’t meant to be just his in the first place.” Another fan wrote, “Naming a wing after him in the hospital would have been a better option.”
