The Los Angeles Lakers have already unveiled two of the three-statue series honoring late legend Kobe Bryant. The first was in commemoration with his No. 8 era, the first 10 seasons of his career. It depicts Bryant walking off of the court at Crypto.com Arena — then Staples Center — after scoring 81 points, the second-most in a single game in NBA history to this day.
It was the pinnacle moment of his No. 8 career, occurring in Jan. 2006. And it was the perfect symbol to begin the three-statue tribute to the franchise’s most impactful player.
The second statue was a more personal one, honoring his post-playing career and his relationship with his daughter Gianna. The two were famous for attending games together in the years before they both tragically passed away in Jan. 2020, and that’s exactly what the statue depicts.
The third statue, set to honor the No. 24 part of his playing career, was at one point reported to be unveiled at some point during the 2024-25 season. However, it appears that plans have since changed, according to Khobi Price of the Southern California News Group:
The Lakers say there are not any plans to unveil a third Kobe Bryant statue during the 2024-25 season.
The first Kobe statue outside of https://t.co/rqCpumuUGv Arena was unveiled on 2/8/24. The Kobe and Gianna Bryant statue was unveiled on 8/2/24.
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) August 27, 2024
This is an intriguing change of plans from the Lakers, who generally like to take their time with tributes of this nature, but have already released two of the three statues. The first was unveiled on Feb. 8 and the second on Aug. 24, both dates having significance with Bryant.
The original plan to unveil during the 2024-25 season could have seen them repeat that trend and go back to Feb. 8, 2025. But that is no longer the plan for L.A. Regardless of the reason, fans may have to wait a few extra months to see what the team is planning with the third and final tribute to Bryant’s legacy with the Lakers.
Dodgers players motivated by Kobe Bryant
Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was celebrated at Dodger Stadium on Sunday with the organization giving out jerseys before the L.A. Dodgers’ game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Bryant’s family was in attendance and the Dodgers rewarded them by picking up a 3-1 victory behind home runs from Kiké Hernandez and Mookie Betts. That capped off a fun Lakers-filled weekend at Dodger Stadium with many Showtime legends in attendance throwing out the first pitch on Saturday night.
The impact that Bryant had on the local community and athletes around the world continues to be felt to this day. Dodgers players Bobby Miller and Kiké Hernandez both spoke about what Bryant meant to them as younger athletes.
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