On February 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, the Lakers unveiled the statue of one of the most beloved sports figures, Kobe Bryant. The ceremony was an emotional tribute to the late basketball player who got killed along with his daughter Gianna and others in a helicopter crash in 2020.
The 19-foot-tall statue of Bryant was installed at Crypto.com Arena in the presence of the Lakers, his former teammates, and coaches.
The statue unveiled has Bryant donning No. 8 on his uniform, a number that appears on the date of the ceremony.
But his widow, Vanessa Bryant, said that there will be a total of three statues, one with Kobe Bryant wearing the No. 24 uniform and the other with his late daughter Gianna, who was killed in the same helicopter crash in 2020.
She further said that the arena is also known as the house that Kobe built.
The statue installed at the arena is designed carefully with little detail about the player’s life. The pose of Kobe in the statue was his choice, and he had a significant role in designing much of the statue, revealed Vanessa Bryant.
Kobe’s statue at Crypto.com Arena has the names of his daughters tattooed on his arm; it also displays his five championship trophies and has an embedded QR code that would let fans see highlights from Kobe Bryant’s life.
The statue that stands on a triangular base will be open to public viewing starting this Friday morning.
Jeanie Buss, Derek Fisher, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and Phil Jackson were the friends and professional associates of the late player who spoke at the ceremony.
The ceremony was attended by former Laker greats like Magic Johnson, Pau Gasol, and Robert Horry. Adam Silver, NBA commissioner, was also in the audience.
Also attending the ceremony was Jerry West, a former Lakers player and executive who had an important role in Kobe’s career as a basketball player, as he was the one who convinced the team to trade for him.
Jeanie Buss, who attended the ceremony, recalled her father, Jerry Buss's love and admiration for Kobe Bryant. She said that trading for Kobe in 1996 was a decision that changed the fate of the city in more ways than one could ever imagine.
She revealed that her father, Jerry, had rejected many attractive offers that he received to trade Kobe for other teams because he believed that Kobe was a flawless, rare five-carat diamond that did not equal a five-carat diamond.
She said that she missed Kobe and Gianna a lot but also expressed her happiness now that the coming generation can see the statue and remember the man who gave the city so many good memories.
Kobe’s coach Jackson admired him while recalling his competitiveness and shared a story when he once arranged his meeting with his rival Michael Jordan to teach him an important lesson of the game.
Note that Bryant’s uniform numbers 8 and 24 are part of the date of ceremony, 2/8/24, while the No. 2 uniform has been worn by his late daughter Gianna in her budding basketball games. Thus, the date holds much significance for Kobe Bryant’s life.
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