According to NBA insider Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a Kobe and Gianna Bryant statue on Friday (8/2).
Kobe and Gianna tragically passed away in a helicopter crash in January 2020.
There will be three Kobe statues. The first one was unveiled in February. It was from Kobe’s 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors.
The third statue is expected to be unveiled sometime next season.
“The statue of the father and daughter is located near the Los Angeles Kings’ monument celebrating the team’s 50th anniversary,” McMenamin reported. “It will be available for the public to visit starting Saturday morning, sources told ESPN.”
One of the greatest players in NBA history, Kobe averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.5 blocks in 1,346 regular-season games with the Lakers.
Kobe was an 18-time All-Star, a five-time champion, a four-time All-Star Game MVP, a two-time Finals MVP, a two-time scoring champion, a 15-time All-NBA Team member, a 12-time All-Defensive Team member and the 2007-08 MVP.
Kobe is fourth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. He scored 33,643 points during his iconic career.
During the Kobe era, the Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Kobe won three rings with Shaquille O’Neal and two with Pau Gasol.
The Lakers retired both of Kobe’s numbers (8 and 24) after he retired in 2016.
The NBA community was devastated when Kobe passed away in 2020. The 2019-20 Lakers, led by LeBron James — who was close friends with Kobe — won the 2020 championship over the Miami Heat at the Walt Disney World bubble as their way of honoring Kobe.
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