CELEBRITY
Lakers will reportedly unveil statue of Kobe Bryant, daughter Gianna in private ceremony Friday
The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil the second of its three planned Kobe Bryant statues on Friday in a private tented ceremony outside of Crypto.com Arena on Friday, according to a report from ESPN on Thursday.
The statue will reportedly feature Bryant and his daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, both of whom died in a tragic helicopter crash in January 2020, along with seven other people. A statue of Bryant and Gigi was placed at the crash site in Calabasas, California on the two-year anniversary of the crash.
Bryant’s first statue was unveiled in February. The pose was modeled after Bryant’s celebration after scoring 81 points — the second-highest single-game scoring mark by a player in NBA history — against the Toronto Raptors in 2006.
The third statue, which doesn’t have a date attached to it yet, will feature Bryant in his No. 24 jersey. Bryant wore Nos. 8 and 24 in his career.
The second statue will be accessible to the public on Saturday, according to the report.