A statue of late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant will be unveiled outside Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 8, 2024, the team announced Thursday, on Kobe Bryant Day.
The date is significant because it incorporates the No. 8 and No. 24 jersey numbers worn by Bryant during his 20-year Lakers career as well as the No. 2 jersey daughter Gianna Bryant wore as a player for Kobe’s Mamba Academy.
Kobe and Gianna Bryant were among the nine people who died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020.
The team posted a video of Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s wife and Gianna’s mother, announcing the date of the unveiling on social media Thursday (8/24, also known as Mamba Day) at 8:24 a.m.
“As you know, Kobe played his entire 20-year NBA career as a Los Angeles Laker,” Vanessa Bryant said in the video. “Since arriving in this city and joining the Lakers organization, he felt at home here, playing in the City of Angels. On behalf of the Lakers, my daughters and me, I am so honored that, right in the center of Los Angeles, in front of the place known as the house that Kobe built, we are going to unveil his statue so that his legacy can be celebrated forever.”
This is a breaking news story and will be updated as additional information becomes available.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
