A mural of NBA Legend Kobe Bryant at a westside Indianapolis gas station has been removed, reportedly after intense scrutiny from the community regarding the quality of the painting.

The mural went up on the Marathon Gas on the corner of 38th Street and Highschool road a few days following the tragic death of Bryant and 8 others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.

[STORY UPDATE: ARTIST BEHIND KOBE MURAL SPEAKS OUT: APOLOGIZES AND ASKS FOR MENTORSHIP]

While some were impressed with how quickly the mural from an unnamed artist (who some sources have reported was a teenager) went up to honor the fallen icon, the image started trending on Social Media for the wrong reasons.

People quickly began sharing pictures of the mural, not to give kudos to the artist who painted it, but with intense criticism and jokes regarding the quality of Kobe’s features.

This morning, residents posted new images revealing that the mural had been removed from the side of the gas station. A light outline of the painting is all that remains of the tribute.

(Before and After of Former Kobe Bryant Mural on 38th and Highschool)

While many people expressed that they were happy the mural has been removed, others were outraged something that was done to honor Bryant’s Legacy was ridiculed so heavily, regardless of what some thought of the mural’s quality.

Maxie, a prominent Indianapolis Hip-Hop Artist and owner of Popular Clothing Store “Nap or Nothing”, shared his thoughts on why people should have stopped criticizing the painting.

For those interested in honoring the legacy of Kobe Bryant and his daughter GiGi, you can click here to learn about how to donate to the Kobe & Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation and other charitable organizations that Kobe Bryant supported.

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Laron Anderson Full-Time Servant of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Part-Time Founder & Editor-In-Chief of Black Indy LIVE. Work Referenced by publications such as: The Atlanta Black Star, Blavity, The New York Post, PopCulture.com, The Inquisitr, Clutch Points, and many more. See author's posts

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