Today, the Los Angeles Lakers unveiled one of three statues of one of their all-time greatest players, Kobe Bryant.
There is one statue of him wearing the number 8 jersey and there will be one of him wearing the number 24 jersey, and one of him with his daughter Gigi, who also tragically passed in the same helicopter accident as Kobe.
Currently, just one statue has been shown to the public and opinion is divided on whether it's a worthy commemoration of such a legend. It shows Kobe raising his finger in the air after scoring 81 points in a game - the second most by a single player ever.
“This moment isn’t just for Kobe," his wife Vanessa said before the statue was unveiled, "but it’s for all of you who have rooted for him for years.”
“For the record, Kobe picked the pose you’re about to see. So, if anyone has any issues with it, tough shit.”
The team revealed the statue today as the date is 2/8/24 - the jersey numbers of Kobe (#8 and #24) and his daughter Gigi (#2). Both tragically died in a helicopter accident carrying eight people back in January 2020.
He becomes the seventh Laker to be commemorated in this way, joining Elgin Baylor, Shaquille O'Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, Jerry West and Chick Hearn.
On stage at the unveiling ceremony were Vanessa, his former coach Phil Jackson, Jabbar, his former teammate Derek Fisher, and Lakers owner Jeanie Buss.
To commemorate the occasion, today the team will be wearing special edition Black Mamba uniforms in their game against the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets, who defeated the Lakers in last year's Western Conference Finals.
Kobe designed the black jerseys himself, and the team first wore them back in the 2017 - 18 season. They have a snakeskin texture, a nod to Kobe's famous 'Black Mamba' nickname, as well as the numbers '8' and '24' in the details.
NBA fans remember Kobe as a fierce competitor, one of the ten best players ever, and a proponent for the game. He won five championships during his twenty-year career, also being named an All-Star 18 times.
He's one of the most influential players of all time and is most likely your favourite player's favourite player. RIP to one of the GOATs.
