Kobe Bryant statues at Crypto.com Arena: What do they represent?

After much anticipation, a statue honoring Kobe Bryant was unveiled outside the Crypto.com Arena on February 8, 2024. As almost all NBA fans should know, Bryant was a former Los Angeles Lakers legend and many consider him one of them. The greatest player in NBA history.

Kobe died in a tragic helicopter crash more than 4 years ago along with his daughter Gianna and several others. Given that he had recently retired and still had a lot of life left to live, it was a loss that the basketball world struggled to cope with and accept.

To honor his accomplishments with the Los Angeles Lakers, a statue of him was unveiled outside the Lakers stadium. That said, fans might want to know more about the statue and its significance.

Kobe Bryant statue representing his record-breaking 81-point game

The statue of Kobe Bryant that the Los Angeles Lakers organization chose to unveil was a statue of him pointing skyward after making NBA history. Diehard Kobe fans will remember that Bryant scored an incredible 81 points in a game against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006.

Although Wilt Chamberlain’s alleged 100-point game is still considered the most points scored by a player in a game, Bryant’s 81 remains the single highest scoring performance ever captured on camera and in the modern NBA. That game cemented his legacy as a Los Angeles Lakers legend and is still considered by many to be a world-class performance.

While the pose of the statue is something that Kobe reportedly wanted according to his wife Vanessa, who also revealed that Lex has made special plans to show his love for Kobe.

2 more statues of Bryant are expected to be unveiled in the future

Vanessa Bryant gave a touching speech during the unveiling of Kobe Bryant’s statue. Although many fans were expecting a speech from the late Bryant’s widow, they were surprised when Vanessa shared that 2 more statues of Kobe were also expected to be unveiled outside the arena.

The second statue will reportedly be of Kobe and his late daughter Gianna. The third and final statue is expected to be of Kobe wearing #24. Since Bryant wore both #8 and #24 during his career as a Los Angeles Lakers, it is fitting that statues in both versions were erected in his honor.

Laker Nation also plans to erect a statue of Kobe and Gianna since Kobe, his daughter and many others deserve a shrine in some form after their unexpected passing. At the moment, details regarding the figurines’ specifications and their release date have not been made public.