LOS ANGELES, California – On February 8, the Kobe Bryant statue will be unveiled in front of the Los Angeles Lakers’ arena in the city.
The fourth-highest scorer in NBA history and a popular fixture of the team for 20 seasons, Bryant, will be honored in this way, the 17-time NBA champion Lakers said late last week. In a helicopter mishap in January 2020, Bryant and his daughter Gianna perished.
Following his retirement in 2016, the Lakers claim that Bryant took part in the early planning of his statue. He is the seventh member of the Lakers staff to receive a statue at the “Star Plaza” outside the arena, which has served as their home since 1999. He is also the sixth former player to receive such an honor.
The timing of the unveiling—2/8/24—is noteworthy because Gianna wore No. 2 when playing childhood basketball, while Kobe wore Nos. 8 and 24 for the entirety of his Lakers career. The Bryant family’s helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California, during a flight to a basketball match with seven other passengers.
Elgin Baylor, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Jerry West, and broadcaster Chick Hearn are also Lakers legends who have statues to their names, and Bryant will soon join them. Along with champion boxer Oscar De La Hoya, Star Plaza also features sculptures of Los Angeles Kings players Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille, Dustin Brown, and Bob Miller.
Bryant beyond Julie Rotblatt Amrany’s sculpture, which she created.
Kobe Bryant was hailed by the Lakers’ owner Jeanie Buss as one of the greatest athletes of all time” and “one of the most recognizable figures in the history of Los Angeles.
