The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a statue of Kobe Bryant on Feb. 8, the team announced along with Vanessa Bryant on Thursday morning.
Vanessa Bryant made the announcement in a video posted to the Lakers’ social media accounts at 8:24 a.m. PT on Aug. 24, also known as Mamba Day as a reference to the Nos. 8 and 24 jerseys Kobe Bryant wore during his 20-year Lakers career. The statue date also ties Bryant’s daughter Gianna into the ceremony, as she wore No. 2.
Kobe and Gianna Bryant were killed in a helicopter crash along with seven others in Calabasas, California, in January 2020.
Bryant will become the seventh member of the Lakers organization to have a statue outside of Crypto.com Arena, joining Elgin Baylor, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Jerry West and broadcaster Chick Hearn.
He also joins a number of other athletes celebrated with statues outside the arena, including Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille and Oscar De La Hoya.
The Lakers said Bryant participated in the initial planning of his statue. The ceremony will be held outside the arena and is “the first in a series of physical tributes to honor [Bryant’s] legacy,” the team said.
Rob Pelinka, who is the Lakers’ vice president of basketball operations and general manager and was Bryant’s agent, said Bryant will now have a physical presence at “a place on the hallowed ground Kobe created where we can all gather to pay honor to a mighty and great man.”
The Lakers are set to face the defending champion Denver Nuggets the same day as the unveiling of Bryant’s statue.
