Credit: X
Late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant will join the list of legends to have a statue on the Star Plaza. Before Kobe, names like Elgin Baylor, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jerry West, Chick Hearn, etc. have a statue outside Crypto.com Arena. The LA Lakers will pay the ultimate tribute to Bryant by unveiling a bronze statue on a memorable date, February 8, 2024, which aligns with Bryant’s jersey numbers, 8 and 24.
The unveiling will be a restricted event, while fans without a ticket are recommended to visit the statue on February 9, when the Star Plaza reopens. The timings for the event will be 3 pm PT (4:30 am IST), a few hours before the Lakers lock horns with the Denver Nuggets. The LA Lakers will honour Bryant by wearing ‘Black Mamba’ uniforms in the game.
The Black Mamba uniforms would feature a black print with shadows on the jersey numbers, reminiscing the Lakers uniform from Bryant’s rookie season in 1996-97. Not only this, but the uniforms would also include ‘LA24’ on the belt and 8 and 24 under the flap of each leg of the shorts. The jersey was first worn during the 2017-18 season as the team’s first City Edition uniform and was inspired by Bryant’s 20-year-old career.
As per the Lakers, the ceremony will be televised on Spectrum SportsNet and will be streamed online on Spectrum SportsNet+. Those who miss out on the live action would be able to catch up with the event on Lakers.com.
