Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi are likely to have their statue sited outside LA’s Crypto.com Arena by Lakers next year, on August 8, 2024. The Club’s owner, Jeanie Buss, recently gave a hint of erecting a memorial in honor of Bryant.
The NBA star, his 13-year-old daughter, six friends, and a pilot died after their helicopter crashed in January 2020. The Daily Mail reported that Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, is aware of the plans to erect a statue by the Lakers. The artist is yet to be selected to work on the project.
Lakers fans are eagerly awaiting a memorial statue honoring Bryant, with reports that its unveiling might be delayed until 2024. The question of its absence was raised by a prominent Lakers-focused Twitter user, @LakeShowYo, who received responses suggesting the wait until 2024.
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A bronze statue of Bryant and his daughter Gigi existed at the Calabasas crash site in California created by artist Dan Medina. The 150-pound bronze sculpture portrays Bryant in his Lakers attire with his arm around Gigi, a young basketball enthusiast at the time of the accident.
The base bears the inscription ‘heroes come and go but legends are forever,’ and the names of the other crash victims – Christina Mauser; Payton, and Sarah Chester; John, Keri, and Alyssa Altobelli; and pilot Ara Zobayan.
Fans visited the statue, leaving flowers and tributes. Medina intends to create a life-size version for downtown Los Angeles. He expressed the desire that the spontaneous, respectful gesture of the current statue might lead to further meaningful tributes.
