Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was immortalized earlier this year when a statue of him was erected in front of Crypto.com Arena in a private ceremony.
The statue depicts Bryant pointing to the sky, an iconic pose he struck after scoring a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors during the 2005-06 season. The statue has been a popular landmark for fans who visited it in droves once it was displayed for the public.
However, the franchise understands what Bryant meant to the organization and the city of Los Angeles and revealed their plan to build two more statues for a total of three. The second statue was unveiled on Aug. 2, a fitting date as it reflects the Nos. 8 and 2 for Bryant and his daughter Gianna, who will be reportedly featured with him.
Now, it appears that the Lakers have plans to unveil the third and final statue at some point during the 2024-25 season, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, revealed at the February ceremony that the third statue would show her late husband donning his No. 24 Lakers uniform.
The third statue is expected to be unveiled sometime next season, sources told ESPN.”
There aren’t enough words to describe Bryant’s impact on the game of basketball and the Lakers franchise as a whole, so it’s exciting to hear that he’ll be honored again during the upcoming regular season. As far as what the design looks like, it’s anyone’s guess but it makes sense that he’ll be wearing his No. 24 jersey.
Bryant spent 10 years each wearing No. 8 and No. 24 and he has a case that each number is Hall of Fame worthy on its own. Bryant won three titles with Los Angeles as No. 8, but found more individual success in No. 24 as he won two titles and Finals MVPs to cement his legacy.
While there aren’t any more details about the third statue, it’ll be exciting to see how the second one with Gianna looks. It’s a fitting tribute to Bryant and his daughter who was also poised for a long and successful basketball career.
Shams Charania names Lakers’ Kobe Bryant as his GOAT
The basketball debate of who’s the GOAT is a futile exercise given that there isn’t a set of criteria that everyone adheres too. Normally, the consensus answer is Michael Jordan because of his championship track record, but reporters like Shams Charania named Bryant as their personal GOAT.
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