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The Los Angeles Lakers honoured NBA legend, Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi Bryant with a beautiful statue at the Crypto.com Arena in LA. Nicknamed the Black Mamba, Bryant is considered one of the greatest players in NBA history who tragically passed away on January 26, 2020, in a helicopter with his daughter, Gigi.
Earlier this year, the Lakers unveiled the first Kobe Bryant statue outside the arena, making the 5-time champion the seventh Laker to be commemorated with a statue. The installation date holds special significance as 2/8/24 honours both numbers Kobe wore during his NBA career (8 and 24), and the number Gigi took as she played competitive youth basketball (2).
Speaking at the statue unveiling, Vanessa Bryant said, "We merged two iconic courtside moments of Kobe and Gigi. Gianna has her gorgeous smile on her face and Kobe is kissing the top of her head while wearing the Philadelphia Eagles beanie that Gigi gifted him for Christmas. He’s also wearing a WNBA hoodie he wore courtside to the game with Gigi.
" Kobe was the first NBA player to wear that orange hoodie to a big game and that was to show his support for Gigi's dreams and for women across all sports. That was a moment he shared with Gigi that will always be a powerful representation of the movement towards equality that was always so important to our family," she added.
