The long wait for the statue to commemorate the late Lakers’ legend Kobe Bryant is finally over.
The first of three Bryant statues was unveiled on Thursday afternoon outside Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.
Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, unveiled the statue and announced that the Lakers would complete a total of three statues for the five-time NBA champion.
One, wearing the No. 8 jersey to signify the first 10 years of Bryant’s Hall of Fame career. A second statue wearing the No. 24 jersey to signify the second (and final) chapter of his NBA career. And finally, a third statue with his daughter Gianna Bryant.
“If you think about it, he really had two careers here,” said Bryant’s teammate Robert Horry after the unveiling. “One wearing No. 8 and one wearing No. 24. So it’s only fitting that he will have three statues here.”
Vanessa thanked Lakers’ owner Jeanie Buss for working with her on the statues and called Crypto.com Arena, formerly Staples Center, “The House that Kobe Built.”
Vanessa also chose the date of the statue unveiling: February 2nd, 2024. 2/8/24, a numerology in honor of Gianna’s number 2 jersey, and Bryant’s No. 8 and No. 24. Kobe and Gianna were among nine people killed in January of 2020, after a helicopter they were passengers in crashed into the mountains in Calabasas, CA.
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Bryant’s first statue joined a plethora of other Lakers’ legends inside “Star Plaza” at Crypto.com Arena. In addition to Bryant, Elgin Baylor, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jerry West, and Hall-of-Fame Lakers announcer Chick Hearn all have statues inside Star Plaza.
Los Angeles Kings legends Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille also have statues in Star Plaza, as does boxer Oscar De La Hoya.
The statue was unveiled during a private ceremony ahead of the Lakers game versus the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. It will open to the public a day later at 10:00AM on Friday, February 9th.
The statue, which showcases Kobe wearing his No. 8 “Sunday White” jersey and pointing to the sky with his right hand. He also has the names of his daughters tattooed on his arm. The statue is an artistic rendering of his infamous 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006.
The statue was sculpted by Omri Amrany and Jule Roblatt-Amrany, a couple based out of Illinois that were also commissioned to sculpt all the other Lakers’ statues at Star Plaza.
Several of those Lakers’ legends with statues like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson were in attendance, as were several of his former teammates like Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and more.
Bryant played all 20 of his NBA seasons with the Lakers. During his NBA tenure, he was an 18-time NBA All-Star, won five championships, an NBA MVP, two NBA Finals MVPS, and two Olympic Gold Medals.
Bryant was inducted post posthumously into the The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on May 15, 2021.