The Lakers will unveil the second of three Kobe Bryant statues in a private ceremony outside of Crypto.com Arena on Friday.
The unveiling of the statue, which will depict the Lakers legend and his daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, was .
Kobe and Gianna died along with seven others in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020, in Calabasas.
Bryant in his No. 8 jersey with his right index finger raised as he walked off the court following his 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in January 2006.
Kobe’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, said during the dedication ceremony in February that the statue was the first of three that will be created to honor the five-time NBA champion and top scorer in Lakers history, who retired in 2016. The third and final statue will feature Bryant in his No. 24 jersey, which he wore for the second half of his career.
Similar to the February ceremony (2/8/24), Friday (8/2/24) has similar numerical significance, as it represents both of Kobe’s jersey numbers (Nos. 8 and 24) Gianna’s No. 2 jersey number.
ESPN reported that the statue depicting Kobe and Gianna will be available for the public to visit beginning on Saturday morning.
The Lakers retired Bryant’s No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys on Dec. 18, 2017, and he was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on May 15, 2021.
