NBA side Los Angeles Lakers have unveiled the first statue honoring the memory of ‘Black Mamba’. This is the first of the three planned statues for the NBA legend.
Five-time NBA champion Bryant died aged 41 in a helicopter crash, alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others, in 2020.
His bronze statue, standing at 19ft and weighing 4,000lb, is situated outside the Lakers’ home, the Crypto.com Arena.
It shows Bryant, who played for the Lakers his entire career, in his famous number eight jersey.
“This statue may look like Kobe, but really, it’s what excellence looks like,” said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was joined at the unveiling by fellow Lakers legends Magic Johnson, Jerry West and Derek Fisher.
Former head coach Phil Jackson and Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, were also in attendance.
The statue is surrounded by five replica Larry O’Brien Trophies and sits on a black, triangle-shaped base — an ode to the triangle offense of former Lakers coach Phil Jackson and assistant Tex Winter.
The side of the base features a quote from Bryant that reads: “Leave the game better than you found it. And when it comes time for you to leave, leave a legend.”
Two more statues to be unveiled for Kobe Bryant
The planned location and the unveiling date for the other two statues — one of Bryant in his No. 24 uniform and the other with his daughter, Gianna, who also died in the 2020 helicopter crash — are still to be determined, according to a Lakers spokesperson.
“When I found out there was going to be three statues, I just said, ‘That’s fitting,'” said Rob Pelinka, Bryant’s longtime friend and agent who is currently the vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the Lakers.
Sherjeel Malik is the editor at FanHaat with a writing experience in multiple sports. He oversees the editorial and content coverage at FanHaat and writes often around combat sports, football and other marquee sports. A professional highlight of his career was when WWE’s Paul Heyman shared one of his articles on his social media.
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