BLADEN COUNTY, N.C. — A Bladen County man took the near 2,600 mile trip to the STAPLES Center with a memorial of his own for Kobe Bryant.

Fletcher Collins, founder of Glorious Custom Designs, makes caskets into customized pieces of art. He did the same thing for Kobe Bryant at the request of one of Bryant's family friends from Philadelphia.

"I like to take the word casket away because when you think about casket, you think about death," said Collins. "What I like to represent is life."

Collins has been making these memorial pieces for people across the nation since 2013. 

For Kobe, the top includes a replica of the STAPLES Center court with five trophies representing Kobe's championships. The inside includes a memorial for Gianna Bryant, Kobe's daughter, and the seven other victims from the helicopter crash from January 26, 2020.

This piece took two weeks, including preparation and construction time, and a 40 hour drive across the country to put it in front of the STAPLES Center.

Collins got to LA on February 18, a week ahead of Kobe and Gianna's life celebration on February 24. Other Kobe fans have been marveling at the masterpiece all week.

"You can tell that this was made with 100 percent love," said one Kobe fan. "Love has come from this piece of art, and thank you for bringing it and sharing it with the world."

Collins, like thousands, did not make it inside the arena for the ceremony. He said, for now, the casket will stay with him. He has plans to make other custom Kobe pieces to host a memorial of his own in North Carolina.