The Los Angeles Lakers unveiled the second statue planned to commemorate Kobe Bryant, but this time it also featured his daughter Gianna Bryant sitting next to him.
In a touching tribute to the father and daughter pairing, the statue depicts them sitting next to each other and embracing, symbolizing their close relationship.
Los Angeles has another statue planned to honor Kobe, though that will be released at a later time.
Lakers governor Jeanie Buss described Kobe and Gianna’s relationship and how it’s impacted others, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“The girl dad movement really took flight when Kobe and Gianna, the relationship that they had. So many dads would tell me that they wanted to relate through sports to their daughter and Kobe kind of just opened that door and made it possible. Of course, Gianna being a student of the game really inspired him to feed her competitiveness. It’s inspiring a whole generation and as we’re seeing now with the crowds that are attending WNBA games, women’s soccer games. I’m a product of Title IX from the ’70s, and when Billy Jean King played Bobby Riggs, we saw women’s sports take a jump. But it’s really finally mainstream and this really is symbolic of that journey.”
Buss also related to Kobe and Gianna when she recalled what it meant for her to hear her father Jerry Buss look at other examples of women breaking ground in sports:
“Girl dad hadn’t been a meme yet, but my father empowered me and he was the one who sat me down when I was 12 years old and said watch Billy Jean King play Bobby Riggs and really opening my eyes that anything was possible. He fed that in me to be confident, to believe in yourself. So many of the same messages that Kobe and Gianna and this statue will invoke for many people.”
Lastly, Buss described what she hopes people who see the statue will take away from it:
“It’s a moment where they can come and really be reflective. Really ask themselves why is this so important? How did he touch us in so many different ways? I think it really is about maintaining that message and passing that message on. I think this is really the perfect moment. We’ve never seen anything like this in terms of the statues that go around sports. We’ve got many great statues here of great players like Magic Johnson and Jerry West and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Elgin Baylor, but this is a different moment. I encourage people to come and see it in person and really pay their respects and take a moment and realize what it means to be a parent of a daughter or a son and encourage them to stay in sports and how important those bonds are.”
It’s a touching tribute to Kobe and Gianna, who both loved the game of basketball but also represented the bond a father and daughter can share.
Details when public can view Lakers’ Kobe Bryant’s new statue
Lakers and the rest of the public will get a chance to view the new Gianna and Kobe Bryant statue in front of Crypto.com Arena starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
