Kobe Bryant statue unveiled outside of Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles
Kobe Bryant wore two numbers during his storied NBA career – 8 and 24. His daughter, Gianna, wore No. 2 as she started her journey playing the game.
Thursday night, on 2/8/24, the Los Angeles Lakers honored them both as they unveiled a statue of Bryant outside Crypto.com Arena. It features the “Black Mamba” pointing in the air wearing his No. 8. Two more statues are also on the way – one of Bryant wearing No. 24, and another of Gianna.
For this statue, though, Bryant’s widow Vanessa said he had a say in the pose. She also had a message for fans who didn’t like it.
“For the record, Kobe picked the post you’re about to see,” Vanessa Bryant said. “So if anyone has any issues with it, tough s–t. It is what it is.”
Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash in 2020 at age 41, along with Gianna and seven others. The unveiling of his statue came just over four years after the crash, and the date was chosen because it honored both of Kobe’s numbers, as well as Gianna’s.
The statue isn’t the only way the Lakers are honoring Bryant’s memory. They’re also wearing special Black Mamba uniforms as they take on the defending champion Denver Nuggets, and feature a snakeskin-like black print and drop shadows on the jersey numbers – a nod to a detail from the Lakers uniforms from Bryant’s rookie season in 1996-97. The uniforms also include an “LA 24” on the belt and the numbers 8 and 24 under the flap of each leg of the shorts.
Initially selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996 NBA Draft, Bryant put together a storied career with the Lakers. He won five NBA titles and playing in 18 All-Star games as he became one of the NBA’s all-time greats. His 33,643 career points made him the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and fourth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. A two-time NBA Finals MVP, Bryant was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
One of Bryant’s most iconic performances came on Jan. 26, 2006. That’s when he scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, which still ranks as the second-most points in a single game in NBA history. Then, in his final career game in 2016, he scored 60 points as he stepped away from the game after a 20-year career.
Chandler Vessels contributed to this report.