Kobe Bryant‘s presence will be felt outside Crypto.com Arena forever — the late Lakers legend’s statue was officially revealed at the venue at an incredibly emotional ceremony … where it was announced two more tributes will go up at a later date.
The Black Mamba’s wife and kids, former Purple and Gold players, staffers, front office execs and more were present for the unveiling … which happened to take place on a special day — 02/08/24 — to symbolize Kobe’s two jersey numbers with L.A., as well as the digit his daughter, Gigi, sported during her young, promising basketball career.
Vanessa Bryant, Phil Jackson, Stu Lantz, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Derek Fisher and Lakers owner Jeanie Buss took the stage … and each gave a touching speech as the statue was revealed for the first time.
Vanessa revealed there will be three different statues of Bryant — one each of Kobe’s two different eras … and a third featuring Gigi.
It’s a day Laker fans have been anticipating ever since the devastating Jan. 2020 helicopter crash that killed Kobe, Gigi and seven others … and there will no doubt be tributes left near the bronze figure as its made available to the public over the next few days.
Kobe’s statue joins fellow all-time greats outside the building … like Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal and more.
Kobe is undoubtedly one of the greatest to ever wear a Laker jersey … winning five NBA championships, two scoring titles, two Finals MVPs, a regular season MVP and earning 15 All-NBA nods.
He averaged 25 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists over 20 seasons.