It was a seemingly impossible task to distill Kobe Bryant’s 20-year, Hall of Fame career with the Los Angeles Lakers into one lasting pose, sculpted in bronze, to honor the basketball great forever.
And so Bryant’s family and the Lakers chose three.
The first, featuring Bryant in his No. 8 uniform, a finger pointed to the sky as he walked off the court after his 81-point game against the Raptors in 2006, was unveiled Thursday afternoon with dozens of Lakers luminaries on hand.
“For the record, Kobe picked the pose you’re about to see, so if anyone has any issues with it, tough s—,” Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, said from a stage at the tented ceremony set up on Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena.
The bronze statue, which stands 19 feet high and weighs 4,000 pounds, is surrounded by five replica Larry O’Brien Trophies and sits on a black, triangle-shaped base — an ode to the triangle offense of former Lakers coach Phil Jackson and assistant Tex Winter.
The side of the base features a quote from Bryant that reads: “Leave the game better than you found it. And when it comes time for you to leave, leave a legend.”