Ever since Kobe Bryant’s tragic death in 2020, Los Angeles Lakers fans have wondered when the organization will honor him with a statue outside of Crypto.com Arena.
Bryant will forever be a Lakers legend and perhaps the most important player in franchise history after donning the purple and gold for his entire 20-year NBA career, winning five championships along the way.
Because of that, it is a foregone conclusion that Bryant will get a statue, it’s just a matter of when the organization will decide to make it happens.
There have been recent rumors swirling that the ceremony is planned for 2024. The Lakers organization had yet to confirm these rumors, although they have now announced that Bryant’s bronze statue will be unveiled at Star Plaza outside of Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 8, 2024, prior to the Lakers’ home game against the Denver Nuggets.
Vanessa Bryant will be in attendance and teamed up with the Lakers to make the announcement:
Kobe’s legacy immortalized.
2•8•24 pic.twitter.com/WHQBXZJ2gD
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 24, 2023
To no coincidence, the Lakers made this announcement at 8:24 a.m. PT on 8/24, which is “Mamba Day.”
It’s great to see that a date is now set in stone and the Lakers organization and fans will have a chance to properly honor Bryant for everything he did in his life.
“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,” said Jeanie Buss, Los Angeles Lakers Governor. “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.”
The Feb. 8 ceremony will be outside the arena and details will be released in the coming months.
“Kobe’s transcendent spirit is always and forever in our hearts – inspiring us every day,” said Rob Pelinka, Los Angeles Lakers Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager. “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.”
Statues that are already outside of Crypto.com Arena include Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Elgin Baylor, Chick Hearn, Oscar De La Hoya, Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille, so Bryant will be joining an illustrious group of L.A. legends.
While it remains to be seen what the statue will look like, there’s no doubt that the Lakers organization will do this right so fans have something to remember Kobe and Gianna by for the rest of time.
Gasol pays tribute to Bryant in Hall of Fame speech
Bryant’s partner in crime during the Lakers’ back-to-back title run in 2009-10, Pau Gasol, was recently honored by being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Gasol took his career to another level after coming over to the Lakers in 2008 and he had Bryant to thank for that, paying tribute to his former teammate and brother during his Hall of Fame speech.
Gasol and Bryant were extremely tight and Pau remains close with Vanessa and the girls to this day, so he will surely be in attendance next summer when Kobe’s statue is unveiled outside Crypto.com Arena.
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