(Los Angeles) The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a Kobe Bryant statue on the edge of their arena on February 8.
The team announced the project on Thursday. Bryant, a four-time NBA scoring champion, was a fan favorite during his 20 seasons with the team. Bryant and his daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash in January 2020.
According to the Lakers, Bryant was involved in the initial creation of the draft after he announced his retirement in 2016. He will be the sixth former Lakers player and seventh team employee to be honored in the All-Star plaza at the exterior of the arena.
The choice of the date of February 8, 2024 is no coincidence. Bryant wore 8 and 24 during his career with the Lakers, while Gianna wore 2 while playing minor basketball. The two were flying with seven other people to a basketball competition when their helicopter crashed due to fog in Calabasas, California.
Bryant’s statue will be installed alongside those of Elgin Baylor, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Jerry West and commentator Chick Hearn. Star Plaza also includes statues of former Los Angeles Kings Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille and Dustin Brown, commentator Bob Miller and boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya.
The statue will be sculpted by Julie Rotblatt Amrany.
