Lakers honor Kobe Bryant with statue outside Crypto.com Arena

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The Los Angeles Lakers unveiled a statue honoring Kobe Bryant outside Crypto.com Arena in a ceremony on Thursday. The bronze statue stands 19 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 Hurn, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Jerry West.

The date of the unveiling was significant for the numerology of Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, both of whom died in a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on January 26, 2020. Thursday is 8th February. 2024 – 2/8/24 – A date that combines Bryant’s jersey number (No. 8 and No. 24) and Gianna’s number (No. 2) when she was playing on the Mamba Sports Academy team.

Until the unveiling, the pose for Bryant’s statue was one of the best-kept secrets in the NBA. The pose reflects Bryant’s career-high 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006, with his right hand in the air and his index finger pointing toward 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 engraved with the Kobe Bean Bryant “Black Mamba” and also includes the box score of the 2006 game. The side of the base reads a quote from Kobe, stating, “Leave the game better than you found it.” And when it’s time for you to go, leave a legend. According to Bryant’s widow Vanessa Bryant, there will be three Kobe statues outside Crypto.com Arena: one wearing No. 8, one wearing 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 All-NBA first-team 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 wearing number 24 and one with Gianna. Location and date are TBD. https://t.co/oveNq89LnM

– Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) 9 February 2024

Laker guard Austin Reeves said that the lights shining on Bryant’s numbers on the walls inside the Lakers’ practice facility are a constant reminder of Bryant’s greatness and influence.

“I watched Kobe grow up,” Reeves said Monday. “The Lakers were my favorite team, and to be able to wear the same uniforms that they wore, playing on the same arena in L.A., is special. This is 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 Amreny and Julie Rotblat-Amreny, who have created all the statues outside the Crypto.com Arena.

Due to weather conditions in Los Angeles the ceremony took place under a large white tent. It was closed to the public but will be opened for general viewing on Friday at 10 a.m. PST.

The Lakers host the defending champion Denver Nuggets, who defeated Los Angeles in the 2023 Western Conference Finals, on Thursday evening, one of the busiest days on the NBA calendar. Thursday also marked the NBA trade deadline, with the Lakers taking a pat on the back by prioritizing the pursuit of a third star via trade in the summer of 2024.

“He means a lot to me,” Anthony Davis said of Bryant on Monday. “Elder brother, guide, I think my career started with him in the Olympics, under his guidance. Teaching me about sports, about life and everything. It would be… a cool moment, obviously to see it, but in a sense to relive it, so, I don’t know. “Emotions will definitely be high for me.”

Los Angeles is honoring Bryant, who was nicknamed 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 the 2020 championship run in the Orlando bubble. The most iconic moment with the jersey occurred against Denver when Anthony Davis hit the game-winning 3-pointer in Game 2 of the 2020 Western Conference Finals.

“It’s perfect,” LeBron James said Monday. “I mean, the guy spent two decades with the organization, won multiple championships, set an example of what it means to strive for excellence. …His achievements speak for themselves. Not only his inspiration, but how he inspires off the court, in the community and across the basketball landscape. So, I think it’s a beautiful moment not only for him but also for his family.