Kobe Bryant Source: MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images / Getty
The Los Angeles Lakers unveiled one of three Kobe Bryant statues outside the Crypto.com Arena alongside his family and friends.
The death of Kobe Bryant is still a sore spot for fans of the NBA champion and even those who hated him while he was playing. Even if you cheered against him you couldn’t help but admire him as a person and an athlete. When he initially retired we all knew he would get a shrine outside what used to be called the Staples Center. Last night February 8, his tribute statue was finally revealed in a small ceremony that was streamed online. The surprise of the evening came when it was revealed Kobe will have three statues outside of Crypto.com Arena instead of one.
According to ESPN, Vanessa made it clear she doesn’t want your opinion on the first statue because Kobe picked it himself.
“For the record, Kobe picked the pose you’re about to see, so if anyone has any issues with it, tough s—,” Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, said from a stage at the tented ceremony set up on Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena.
Lakers GM Rob Pelinka revealed the three-statue idea came from the need to do something nobody else had done. Furthermore, he admits one could never display the love Los Angeles has for Bean.
“When I found out there was going to be three statues, I just said, ‘That’s fitting,’” said Pelinka, Bryant’s longtime friend, former agent and current the vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the Lakers. “Because it’s just how the City of Angels feels about Kobe. He deserves something that no other athlete that’s ever played here deserves.”
The ceremony featured five guest speakers including Jeanie Buss, Phil Jackson, Derek Fisher, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Vanessa Bryant. If you’re wondering how they selected that pose, Phil revealed it came from the infamous night Kobe scored 81 points.
“But the night he got 81, we needed all those points,” Jackson said. “They were running a zone against us, and we devised a little offensive system that would exaggerate Kobe having a one-on-one opportunity with either a power forward, a small forward or Jalen Rose. He ate that up.”
Kareem used his time to remind everyone what Kobe stood for and how the statue represents just that, excellence.
“This statue may look like Kobe, but really it’s what excellence looks like, what discipline looks like, what commitment looks like, what love of family looks like,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “The statue is a wonderful contribution. It captures a person frozen in time, while at the same time acknowledges that the reason there is a statue in the first place is because that person is timeless.”
Gigi Bryant wore #2 while her father wore #8 and #24 which made up the unveiling date. Gigi will also be featured in one of the three statues.
If you missed the ceremony you can stream it below.
