A statue depicting Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant will be unveiled at a private tented event Friday outside Crypto.com Arena, a source from the Los Angeles Lakers told ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a statue featuring Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant on Friday.
The photo is the second of three planned for the Lakers legend, who died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas along with Gigi and seven others in January 2020.
The first statue, a 19-foot bronze memorial to Bryant's 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors, was unveiled on Feb. 8. The text below the template includes the box scores from that game.
However, one player on each team had his name misspelled: Raptors guard Jose Calderon – whose last name was spelled “Calderson” – and Lakers forward Von Wafer – whose first name was spelled “Vom.”
Kobe Bryant's second portrait will be unveiled at a private event tomorrow (8/2/24), @mcten
“A statue featuring Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna 'Gigi' Bryant will be unveiled at a private tented event outside the Arena, sources told ESPN…. pic.twitter.com/aVqLGTitVh
– NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 1, 2024
Those errors have been corrected. The 4,000-pound bronze statue was sculpted by renowned sculptor Julie Rotblatt Amrany of the Fine Art Studio of Rotblatt Amrany in Highwood, Illinois.
The triangular base features an inscription of one of Kobe Bryant's most memorable quotes: “Leave the game better than you found it. And when the time comes for you to go, leave the legend.”
“For the record,” his widow Vanessa Bryant said at the launch, “Kobe chose a pose that you're about to see, so if anyone has a problem with it, 'st-tight.”
The date of August 2, 2024, was chosen for the event because Bryant wore No. 8 and 24, Gigi wore No.
The date Friday (8/2/24) was chosen for the event (2/8/24) because it represents both of Bryant's uniform numbers (8 and 24). It also symbolizes the number 2 that 13-year-old Gigi wore on the basketball court.
Additionally, the Lakers retired his number 8 and 24 in 2017. A portrait of Kobe and his daughter will be located next to a monument to the NHL's Los Angeles Kings celebrating the team's 50th anniversary.
According to reports, the statue will be available for public viewing from Saturday morning.
Vanessa Bryant revealed at an event in February that the third statue will feature her late husband wearing his No. 24 Lakers uniform. The third statue is expected to be unveiled in the 2024-25 season.
In Kobe. For die-hard Laker fans. For our family.
Dig forever. pic.twitter.com/uExf0oEWgY
– Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 9, 2024
Kobe Bryant spent his entire 20-year career with the Lakers before retiring in 2016. The 18-time All-Star was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
In 2022, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the NBA, The Athletic ranked its 75 best players of all time. The site named Bryant as the 10th greatest player in NBA history. He was the second highest shooting guard on the list, behind only Michael Jordan.
Bryant was the Lakers' all-time leader in points (33,643), steals (1,944), turnovers (4,010), and games played (1,346). The Black Mamba also won five NBA championships (2000-02, 2009, 2010) and Finals MVPs (2009, 2010) during his tenure.
In addition, Bryant was the first player in NBA history to have at least 30,000 points and 6,000 assists. He also became one of only four players with 25,000 points, 6,000 rebounds, and 6,000 assists. Bryant led the NBA in scoring during the 2005-06 (35.4 PPG) and 2006-07 (31.6 PPG) seasons.
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