Earlier this year in February, the Los Angeles Lakers revealed a statue of Kobe Bryant outside the Crypto Arena. During the unveiling, Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow, shared that two more statues were planned to honor the basketball legend. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the second statue, which will pay tribute to both Kobe and his daughter Gigi, is scheduled to be unveiled this Friday in a private ceremony. The tragic helicopter crash in January 2020 claimed the lives of Kobe, Gigi, and seven others.
Starting Saturday, the public will be able to view the second statue, as reported by ESPN.
The first statue, featuring Kobe in his No. 8 jersey, was revealed on February 8, 2024—a date carefully chosen for its significance to the Lakers. The numbers 2-8-24 reflect the two jersey numbers worn by Kobe (8 and 24) and the number 2 worn by Gigi.
The Lakers continue to emphasize this numerical symbolism, with the second statue’s unveiling set for August 2, 2024 (8-2-24).
ESPN also reported that the third and final statue will be unveiled during the 2024-25 season. Vanessa Bryant mentioned that this statue will depict Kobe in his No. 24 jersey.
The first statue’s design captures Kobe in the iconic pose he struck after his legendary 81-point game in 2006.
With this latest tribute, Kobe becomes the seventh Laker to be immortalized in statue form, joining legends like Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, and announcer Chick Hearn. Uniquely, Kobe will be the first Laker to receive multiple statues, a distinction that mirrors his status as the only player in franchise history to have two retired jersey numbers.
Comments