Lakers Complete Corrections on Kobe Bryant Statue Outside of Crypto.com Arena
April 9, 2024
Multiple corrections have been made to the Kobe Bryant statue outside the Los Angeles Lakers' home, Crypto.com Arena, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
The statue, which features the Lakers legend's pose following his 81-point game in Jan. 2006 versus the Toronto Raptors, is a 19-foot bronze structure unveiled on Feb. 8.
The game's box score appears on the base of the structure. Adjustments were made to ex-Raptors guard José Calderón and former Lakers guard Von Wafer's names, which were misspelled. Calderon was listed as "Calderson," and Von was spelled as "Vom." Wafer also didn't play that game due to a Coach's Decision, which was spelled as "Decicion" on the box.
Per McMenamin, Bryant's facsimile signature previously read "Kobe 24," in reference to his number in the back half of his career. However, that was changed to just "Kobe" since the statue shows him wearing a uniform with No. 8. The 2005-06 season marked his last full campaign in that number.
In addition, Bryant's career achievements, which are on the front of the statue base, were also adjusted, per McMenamin.
The Lakers will ultimately honor Bryant with three statues.
One of the remaining two will feature Bryant is his No. 24 uniform. The other will see him with his second-eldest daughter Gianna. Kobe and Gianna Bryant were among nine people who tragically passed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California in Jan. 2020.
Per a Lakers spokesperson to McMenamin, the planned revealing dates and locations for those statues have yet to be determined.
Bryant played for the Lakers for the entirety of his 20-year career (1996-2016). His accolades include five NBA championships, 18 NBA All-Star Games, 11 All-NBA First Team honors, two scoring titles, the 2007-08 NBA MVP award and a pair of Olympic gold medals.
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