Report: Statue of Kobe Bryant, daughter set for unveiling

Field Level Media|published: Thu 1st August, 14:37 2024

News: The Kobe Bryant Statue is unveiled at Crypto Arena four years after his devastating death

Feb. 9, 2024; Los Angeles, Calif.; The Los Angeles Lakers unveil a statue to the public honoring Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant at Crypto.com Arena. Bryant won five NBA championships and played all twenty of his NBA seasons with the franchise. Bryant died in a helicopter crash with his daughter Gianna in January 2020. Mandatory Credit: Sandy Hooper-USA TODAY

The second of three planned statues of Kobe Bryant will be unveiled Friday in a private ceremony outside of Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, ESPN reported.

This statue bears the likenesses of the late Lakers superstar and his daughter, Gianna, who was 13 when she died with her father and seven others in a helicopter crash in January 2020.

The ceremony will be held under a tent outside the arena, with the statue available for public viewing Saturday morning, per ESPN.

On Feb. 8, the first statue was unveiled in another private event. That 19-foot memorial is a tribute to Bryant's 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006.

The date of that statue placement was significant, with 2/8/24 representing the uniform number 2 worn by Gianna -- who was called Gigi -- and her father's No. 8. The year -- 2024 -- honors the other number Kobe Bryant wore during his 20 seasons with the Lakers.

Friday's date of 8/2/24 is an alternate version of the number sequence.

The unveiling of the third statue is expected to occur in the 2024-25 season, ESPN said.

--Field Level Media