Lakers honor Kobe Bryant with statue outside the arena
The Los Angeles Lakers unveiled a statue honoring Kobe Bryant outside Crypto.com Arena during a ceremony on Thursday. The bronze statue is 20 feet tall and weighs 4,000 pounds.
Bryant is the seventh Lakers legend to be commemorated with a statue in Star Plaza, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, announcer Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and Jerry West.
The reveal date was significant for the numerology of Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who both died in a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on January 26, 2020. Thursday is February 8. 2024 – 2/24/2024 – a date that combines Bryant's jersey numbers (No. 8 and No. 24) and Gianna's jersey number (No. 2) when she played on the Mamba Sports Academy team.
Until the unveiling, the pose in front of Bryant's statue was one of the best-kept secrets in the NBA. The pose depicts Bryant's career-high 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006, with his right arm raised in the air and his index finger pointing at the fans. The statue is surrounded by five championship trophies, representing the five Lakers titles in Kobe's career. The base of the statue is etched with KOBE BEAN BRYANT “Black Mamba” and includes the box score from the 2006 game. On the side of the base is a quote from Kobe that says: “Leave the game better than you found it . And when it's time to leave, leave a legend behind.” According to Vanessa Bryant, Bryant's widow, there will be three Kobe statues outside the Crypto.com Arena: one with No. 8, one with No. 24 and one with Gianna.
Bryant retired in 2016 after 20 seasons with the Lakers. During his Hall of Fame career, he won five championships, two Finals MVPs, one MVP, two Olympic gold medals, made 18 All-Star teams and had 11 first-team All-NBA selections. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted Bryant on May 15, 2021. He is the first and only Laker to have two jersey numbers retired and hanging from the Crypto.com Arena rafters.
Two more Kobe statues are planned: one with No. 24 and one with Gianna. Location and date are to be determined.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) February 9, 2024
Laker guard Austin Reaves said the lights shining on Bryant's numbers on the walls in the Lakers' practice facility are a constant reminder of Bryant's greatness and impact.
“I looked up to Kobe growing up,” Reaves said Monday. “The Lakers were my favorite team, and it's special to be able to put on the same uniform as him and play in the same arena in LA. It's something I've talked about a lot. Like I said, Kobe was my idol growing up. I wanted to do everything like him.”
Vanessa Bryant and the Lakers organization collaborated on the design. The statue was created by Illinois-based couple Omri Amrany and Julie Rotblatt-Amrany, who shot all the footage outside Crypto.com Arena.
The ceremony took place under an oversized white tent due to Los Angeles weather conditions. It was closed to the public but will open for general viewing on Friday at 10am PST.
The Lakers host the defending champion Denver Nuggets, who defeated Los Angeles in the 2023 Western Conference finals, on Thursday evening on one of the busiest days of the NBA calendar. Thursday was also the NBA trade deadline, with the Lakers standing firm and prioritizing their pursuit of a third star via trade in the summer of 2024.
“He meant a lot to me,” Anthony Davis said of Bryant on Monday. “Big brother, mentor, I think started my career next to him at the Olympics, just under his wing. Teach me the game, teach me about life and everything. It'll be… a cool moment, obviously to see that, but to relive it in a way, so I don't know. My emotions will certainly run high.”
Los Angeles honors Bryant, whose nickname was the “Black Mamba,” by wearing their black-and-gold snakeskin “Black Mamba” City Edition uniforms against the Nuggets. The Lakers first wore the uniforms during the 2017-18 season, and then again during their 2020 championship run in the Orlando Bubble. The most iconic moment involving the jerseys came against Denver when Anthony Davis hit a game-winning 3-pointer in Game 2 of the 2020 Western Conference finals.
“It's only right,” LeBron James said Monday. “I mean, the man spent 20 years with the organization, won multiple championships and set a precedent for what it means to strive for excellence. … His achievements speak alone. Not just his inspiration, but how he inspires on the floor, in the community and across the basketball landscape. So I think it's a great moment, not only for him but also for his family.”
Required reading
(Photo of Kobe Bryant: Harry How/Getty Images)