Kobe Bryant's widow Vanessa, members of the Lakers front office and others gathered in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday to honor one of the greatest players in NBA history.
A 19-foot, 4,000-pound bronze statue of Bryant was unveiled outside Crypto.com Arena following a heartfelt ceremony. The massive statue shows Bryant wearing his No. 8 Lakers jersey and pointing toward the sky. Bryant made the gesture as he left the basketball court after his career-best 81-point performance in 2006.
A sculpture honoring Bryant was in the works before his untimely death. After his retirement, he worked with the franchise during the planning phase of an anticipated statue, according to a 2023 press release from the Lakers.
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A statue of former Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is unveiled during a ceremony at Star Plaza outside the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 8, 2024. (Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports)
During Thursday's ceremony, Vanessa confirmed that the Lakers great selected the pose for his statue.
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“For the record, Kobe chose the pose you're about to see,” he said.
Vanessa also expressed her gratitude for the countless fans who supported her husband, saying, “This moment is not just for Kobe, but for all of you who have supported him all these years.”
The bronze statue was created by sculptor Julie Rotblatt Amrany.
Bryant died in a helicopter crash along with his daughter, Gianna, on January 26, 2020. At the time there were seven other people on board who also died in the crash.
The Bryant statue joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Elgin Baylor, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jerry West and team announcer Chick Hearn outside the Lakers' downtown stadium.
“This statue may look like Kobe, but it's actually what excellence looks like,” said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. “What discipline looks like. What commitment looks like… It captures a person frozen in time, while at the same time recognizing that the reason there is a statue in the first place is because that person is timeless. All we are “I am here today to honor a man who represents not only extraordinary sporting achievements, but also timeless values that inspire us all to try harder to not only be better, but also give our best.”
Vanessa Bryant speaks during a ceremony for the unveiling of a statue of former Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant at Star Plaza outside the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 8, 2024. Joining her on stage are, from left, Jeanie Buss. , Derek Fisher, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Phil Jackson and Stu Lantz. (Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports)
Bryant won five NBA championships during his historic career and retired in 2016. He spent his entire 20-year career with the Lakers. He was a two-time Finals MVP and was named league MVP in 2008. He was an 18-time All-Star and finished his career with 33,643 points.
“Anyone who saw him play knows that he did things on the court like no other. He was a fighter, a fighter, a winner and also an artist, and he could bend the world to his will,” Lakers said. Gov. Jeanie Buss said at Thursday's ceremony.
“Watching Kobe play was like watching a miracle unfold,” Buss recalled his father, Jerry, saying about Bryant. “An NBA team once offered to trade us five players for Kobe, but Dr. Buss refused, explaining that Kobe was as rare as a five-carat flawless diamond and that five one-carat diamonds would never equal the same value”.
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He was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in May 2021, and Vanessa gave the acceptance speech. “I wish my husband were here to accept this incredible award,” she said.
The Lakers wore the “Black Mamba” uniforms during Thursday's game against the Denver Nuggets. The jerseys were co-designed by Bryant and paid homage to his on-court nickname.
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