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NBA Lakers unveil statue honoring Kobe and Gianna Bryant

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<p style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left">The Los Angeles Lakers and the Bryant family have unveiled a new statue outside Crypto.com Arena to honor the legacy of five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Maria-Onor’e Bryant. </p><div style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left"> </div><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1819506775344689556&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fent-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aent-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2024-08-03T18%3A12%3A54.801510%3Af8e3e0d6-4162-4d6c-9e06-238a7267c7c6%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=ec7b92a904f4e85d7fd1f2beb72de340f9e59fb3&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:550px;height:576px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="1819506775344689556"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><div style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left"> </div><p style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left">This tribute recognizes Kobe’s pride in being a “Girl Dad,” and the family&#x27;s support for women and girls in sports.</p><div style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left"> </div><p style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left">The unveiling date, August 2, 2024, holds special significance, as it represented both numbers Kobe wore during his Lakers career (8 and 24) and Gianna&#x27;s youth basketball number (2). </p><div style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left"> </div><p style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left">The bronze statue, placed near the 11th Street Entrance, depicts Kobe with his arm around Gianna. Both were adorned with angel wings. The sculpture, designed by Karon Davis and created by Rotblatt Amrany Studio artists, sits amid hedges and benches resembling an Italianate Garden to symbolize Kobe’s childhood in Italy. Purple and gold flowers reflect the iconic Lakers colors, while engraved butterflies symbolize transformation and hope.</p><div style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left"> </div><p style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left">Vanessa Bryant, speaking at a private ceremony, highlighted the statue&#x27;s symbolism. “We merged two iconic courtside moments of Kobe and Gigi. Gianna has her gorgeous smile on her face and Kobe is kissing the top of her head while wearing the Philadelphia Eagles beanie that Gigi gifted him for Christmas,” she said. </p><div style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left"> </div><p style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left">Vanessa emphasized Kobe&#x27;s support for women in sports, recalling how he was the first NBA player to wear a WNBA hoodie courtside. She reflected on the disparities Gianna would have faced in sports and urged support for young girls in athletics.</p><div style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left"> </div><p style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left">Vanessa’s message was clear: “In honor of Kobe and Gigi, give young girls your time. Tell them they can do anything any man can do and exceed that. Take girls to watch women play sports. Buy those tickets. Watch women’s games on TV with your daughters, nieces, and cousins. If young girls can see professional women play, they know they have the potential to be them.”</p><div style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left"> </div><p style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left">The statue features a plaque with inscriptions: “Gianna Bryant, Inspirational Icon for Girls in Sports” and “Kobe Bryant, Proud Supporter of Women in Sports,” along with the Mamba and Mambacita logo. </p><div style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left"> </div><p style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left">Kobe’s quote that says, “Gianna is a beast. She’s better than I was at her age. Girls are amazing. I’m a girl dad,” is also etched on the plaque.</p><div style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left"> </div><p style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left">Earlier this year, the Lakers unveiled their first Kobe Bryant statue at Star Plaza, making Kobe the seventh Laker to be commemorated this way. </p><div style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left"> </div><p style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left">Vanessa had announced that two more statues would follow, with the second being the newly revealed tribute to Kobe and Gianna. The first statue, unveiled on February 8, 2024, shows Kobe in his No. 8 jersey, marking his famous 81-point game in 2006.</p><div style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left"> </div><p style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left">ESPN reports that a third statue, featuring Kobe in his No. 24 jersey, will be unveiled during the 2024-2025 season. Kobe is the first Laker to have multiple statues and multiple jersey numbers retired.</p><div style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left"> </div><p style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;text-align:left">— By Samantha Prats</p>

<p>The NBA Lakers unveiled a statue outside Crypto.com Arena honoring Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna's legacy and support for women in sports.</p>

The NBA Lakers unveiled a statue outside Crypto.com Arena honoring Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna's legacy and support for women in sports.