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The Los Angeles Lakers unveiled the late Kobe Bryant’s bronze statue in front of the Crypto.com Arena, which was previously called the Staples Center, also known as ‘The House That Kobe Built.’ Kobe himself chose the pose of the statue and it comes from the game against the Toronto Raptors, where the Lakers registered a 122-104 win, and Bryant scored 81 points.
The unveiling ceremony was attended by several basketball legends and NBA commissioner Adam Silver. While the ceremony was restricted to the general public, it was streamed so that millions of fans could watch the ceremony live.
The ceremony began with an emotional tribute and speeches by Stu Lance, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, Derrick Fisher, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and Phil Jackson. The statue depicts Bryant in a white Lakers jersey with his right finger pointed into the air. The statue's base was a triangle in honor of the triangle offense Bryant's expertise under Jackson and assistant coach Tex Winter.
Vanessa Bryant announces two more Kobe Bryant statues at Crypto Arena
Kobe Bryant’s wife Vanessa Bryant announced that the late Lakers legend will have a total of three statues at the Crypto.com Arena, two of which will be unveiled later. One of the statues will feature Gigi Bryant, Kobe and Vanessa’s daughter who also died in the helicopter crash in 2020. The other statue will be dedicated to Bryant’s accomplishments with the Lakers with him wearing the 24 jersey.
In her speech, Vanessa said, “As I see today’s current generation of star players follow in Kobe’s footsteps with huge scoring games, I know he would take pride in knowing that he is still pouring inspiration into the game that was so special to him.” She added, "For the record, Kobe picked the pose you’re about to see. If anyone has any issues with it, tough s***. It is what it is." Vanessa ended her speech by saying, “I leave you with one of my husband’s amazing quotes. ‘Leave the game better than you found it and when it comes time for you to leave, leave a legend.’ And that he did.”
