LA Lakers to unveil Kobe Bryant statue outside 'The house that Kobe built'
On 8 February, the two-time Olympic champion's momentous career will be honoured in front of the Crypto.com Arena.
Basketball
On Thursday 8 February, the Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a statue outside of their Crypto.com Arena to commemorate the momentous career of Kobe Bryant.
"The statue will serve as a permanent reminder of Kobe’s great Lakers legacy, where fans from around the world can honor him and remember his incredible basketball journey," the NBA said in a statement this week.
Regarded as one of the best American basketball players of all time, Bryant played a key role in the United States’ 2008 ‘Redeem Team’ and their continued Olympic glory in 2012.
By the end of his career, he surpassed the 33,000-point mark in the regular season, became the first player to have two jersey numbers retired by the same team and racked up five NBA championship titles.
His tragic death in January 2020 was felt in the United States and beyond, as he, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, were killed in a helicopter crash.
The plans for the statue were initially announced on 24 August 2023, by Vanessa Bryant, the late legend's wife, in a video posted on the Laker’s X page. In it, she said:
"Kobe played his entire 20-year career as a Los Angeles Laker. Since arriving in this city and joining this Lakers organization, he felt at home here, playing in the City of Angels.
"On behalf of the Lakers, my daughters, and me, I'm so honored that right in the center of Los Angeles, in front of the place known as the house that Kobe built, we're going to unveil a statue, so that his legacy can be celebrated forever. Hope to see you there."
Apart from a very select few, no one knows how the Lakers will choose to memorialize the American legend…will it be with his arms raised to championship confetti, jersey collar in mouth or mid-fadeaway jumper? All have been speculated.
"I don’t think he has one image that pops into my head that says, ‘That’s the one that should be immortalized on the statue’ because there’s too many memories,” LeBron James said, according to the LA Times. “Too many plays. Too many moments that he had.”
The public is not able to attend the unveiling and with the weather bringing the ceremony under cover, not even sneak peaks are up for grabs.
The statue will be available for public viewing from Friday morning.