Laker legend Kobe Bryant on Thursday joined a roster of greats memorialized outside the team’s arena with the unveiling of a statue to celebrate his impact on the club, basketball and the community.
But while one statue was unveiled Thursday, Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, said there will actually be three monuments to Kobe outside the downtown Crypto.com Arena.
“Because fans all over the world and the City of Angels loved Kobe so much, he will have three statues in front of the arena, also known as the House that Kobe Built – one wearing the number 8, one with our beautiful daughter Gianna, and one wearing the number 24,” Bryant said.
Plans for the statue were originally announced last year on “Mamba Day,” which is celebrated every Aug. 24, or 8/24, in a nod to the two uniform numbers he wore during his career.
The unveiling ceremony was held on 2/8/24 – again in a nod to the late star’s numbers 8 and 24. The No. 2 was worn by his daughter Gianna, who died alongside her father in a 2020 helicopter crash.
Kobe’s “relentless determination made his teammates push themselves too,” another Laker great, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, said during the unveiling. “He made everyone around him play better.”
Abdul-Jabbar – who also has a statue outside the arena – was just one of several Laker legends speaking at the event prior to the team’s game against the Denver Nuggets. Derek Fisher and Phil Jackson also took the stage, along with team owner Jeanie Buss. Magic Johnson and Pau Gasol were among the former players in the audience, along with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
Vanessa Bryant said Kobe himself chose the pose for the statue that was unveiled Thursday, but it includes elements that she requested – including the names of his four daughters tattooed on his arm, along with five championship trophies, nods to his career accolades, a QR code that can be scanned with links to highlights of Kobe’s career and a triangle-shaped base, in a nod to Jackson’s famed triangle offense.
“It goes without saying that today’s an especially sad day for us, since Kobe and Gigi aren’t here for what it supposed to be an incredibly joyous moment in Kobe’s legacy,” she said. “I want to thank you all for being here showing your love and support for Kobe and our family. I’m thankful for all of the fans, including those watching and supporting from home.”
During Thursday night’s game, Laker players will wear the team’s Kobe-inspired “Black Mamba” jerseys, which were unveiled during the 2017-18 season.
Other Laker greats commemorated with a statue outside the arena are Johnson, Elgin Baylor, Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West and announcer Chick Hearn.
Bryant, known as “Black Mamba” during his 20-year Hall of Fame NBA career, died Jan. 26, 2020, in a crash in Calabasas that also took the lives of his daughter Gianna, 13, and seven others.
Both of Kobe Bryant’s uniform numbers were retired by the Lakers in 2017, the year after he hung up his sneakers, making him the first NBA player to have two numbers retired by the same team.
The Lakers long played a preseason contest in San Diego and the late star had enough of a connection in the region that the San Diego County administration building was lit up in purple in his honor following his death.
– City News Service
