At some point, it might be easier to simply rename Crypto.com Arena.
Anyone wanna go to Kobe's crib?
Two of three statues honoring the late Lakers player Kobe Bryant have been unveiled outside the stadium. The latest, on Friday, is an emotional tribute to Bryant and his daughter, Gianna. The two died along with seven others in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020.
Now, anyone heading to the stadium after admiring the statues will be able to use the Kobe Bryant Entrance, formerly called the 11th Street Entrance.
A month after Kobe Bryant’s death, the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award bears his name: Bryant’s four All-State Game MVPs tie him with Bob Pettit for the most in NBA history. Though his wife, Vanessa, and three daughters, Natalia, Bianka and Capri, might appreciate even more the inscription on the new statue: “Most Valuable Girl Dad.”
The second Kobe Bryant statue outside Crypto.com Arena features him and his daughter Gianna.
(Zoë Cranfill / Los Angeles Times)
The statue depicts Kobe and Gianna, who was a budding player at age 13 and nicknamed Mambacita, sitting courtside during a Lakers game in December 2019 as they chatted about basketball. Kobe puts his arm around Gianna and kisses her head.
Above the Girl Dad inscription on a plaque is a quote from Kobe: “Gianna is a beast. She’s better than I was at her age. She’s got it all. Girls are amazing. I’d have five more girls if I could. I’m a girl dad.” The top of the plaque features the Mambacita logo and father-daughter descriptions: “Gianna Bryant, Inspirational Icon for Girls in Sports” and “Kobe Bryant, Proud Advocate for Women in Sports.”
Any fan in need of even more Mamba charm can stop by Kobe Bryant’s entrance sporting the special-edition Kobe 4 Protro sneakers, which have the word “Girl Dad” printed on the inner tongues.
Or visit the large downtown Los Angeles mural of Kobe and Gianna with angel wings. The building's owner tried to remove it, but fans wouldn't let him. More than 90,000 signatures filled an online petition, and video game company 2K Games reached an agreement with the owner to leave the mural up.
The agreement is set to expire at the end of October, but even if that mural is removed, there are several hundred more Kobe Bryant murals in Southern California. In fact, The Times has compiled a list of the 24 major murals in Los Angeles County and eight in Orange County that pay tribute to Bryant.
But none are as majestic as the two statues at the stadium. It's no coincidence that the Kobe and Gianna statue was unveiled on 2/8/24, which includes his jerseys with the numbers 8 and 24 and hers with the number 2.
The first Kobe Bryant statue, a 19-foot, 4,000-pound bronze monument, was unveiled on an equally significant date in February (8/2/24) and shows Bryant in his No. 8 jersey. He's pointing skyward in a recreation of an image from his 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in 2006.
The third statue is expected to show Bryant in his No. 24 jersey, which he wore for the final 10 years of his 20-year career with the Lakers. That could exhaust the need for bronze monuments, leaving only the name of the arena (many fans still call it Staples Center) as a potential target.
The court of King Kobe?
