The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a bronze statue of the late Kobe Bryant outside of Crypto.com Arena early next year, the team announced on Thursday.
The five-time NBA champion and 18-time All-Star will be honored during a ceremony outside the arena before a Lakers home game on February 8, 2024. Bryant, a former MVP, is the Lakers’ all-time leader in points scored, games played, 3-pointers made, steals, and free throws made.
“Kobe Bryant was one of the most extraordinary athletes of all time, and one of the most iconic individuals in the history of Los Angeles,” Los Angeles Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “There is no better place for Kobe to be honored with a statue than here, at the center of our city, where everyone can celebrate him and be inspired by his incredible achievements.”
From why the announcement was made specifically on Thursday, to the company Bryant is joining with the honor, here’s everything else you need to know about the statue.
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Lakers choose ‘Mamba Day’ to make Bryant announcement
The timing of this announcement was no coincidence.
Bryant wore No. 8 and No. 24 during his Hall of Fame career. So August 24 (8/24) is considered to be “Mamba Day,” which also pays tribute to the guard’s nickname.
The Lakers also picked February 8, 2024, for the ceremony as another nod to the “Black Mamba.” If that wasn’t enough, a video of Vanessa Bryant—Kobe’s wife for nearly 20 years before his death in 2020—was shared online at 8:24 a.m. PT.
“As you know, Kobe played his entire 20-year NBA career as a Los Angeles Laker,” Vanessa Bryant said in the video. “Since arriving in this city and joining the Lakers organization, he felt at home here, playing in the City of Angels. On behalf of the Lakers, my daughters and me, I am so honored that, right in the center of Los Angeles, in front of the place known as the house that Kobe built, we are going to unveil his statue so that his legacy can be celebrated forever.”
The Lakers retired both of Bryant’s numbers in 2017.
How many former Lakers have statues?
Bryant will join elite company when his statue is unveiled at Star Plaza outside of what was formerly known as the Staples Center.
The 15-time All-NBA selection will be the seventh Laker to be commemorated with a statue, joining Elgin Baylor, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jerry West, and broadcaster Chick Hearn. The Lakers said Bryant, after his retirement in 2016, participated in the initial planning of the statue. It will be the first in a series of physical tributes to honor his legacy, the team said.
“Kobe’s transcendent spirit is always and forever in our hearts – inspiring us every day,” Rob Pelinka, Los Angeles Lakers Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager, said in a statement. “And now, with the unveiling of this powerful and beautiful statue, he will have a physical presence, too. A place on the hallowed ground Kobe created, where we can all gather and pay honor to a mighty and great man.”
The statue was created by renowned sculptor Julie Rotblatt Amrany of the Fine Art Studio of Rotblatt Amrany.
Social media reactions to Kobe statue
Several users on X, formerly known at Twitter, posted tributes to Bryant in honor of “Mamba Day” and the statue announcement. ESPN analyst Dick Vitale said the tribute is “so so deserved,” while First Take host Stephen A. Smith said Bryant “personified and epitomized everything that the Lakers pride themselves on being about.”
Meanwhile, an NBA analyst at The Athletic suggested a pose for the statue.
The NBA 2K video game franchise also announced on social media that its newest game will feature “Mamba Moments.” Fans will relive some of Bryant’s most memorable performances in the game, which releases this fall. Bryant will grace the cover of NBA 2K for the fourth time in this new installment.