Kobe Bryant: A Statue of Greatness

February 8th, 2024 was a celebration of the greatest Laker in franchise history. We as fans waited for a few years for this moment to arrive. Emotional stroll back down memory lane as widow Vanessa Bryant took the podium to reveal the statue Kobe picked out. It was only fitting the 81 points pose as he walked off the court in a very battle tested game against the Toronto Raptors. 

Wearing the “Sunday Whites” jersey number 8, this statue will be outside the house Kobe built. Along with (1) statue, (2) more was announced in wearing 24; Kobe and Gigi will be the last one. As Vanessa made this in Kobe fashion, she had the mic drop of: “tough (bleep).” The crowd cheered and laughed as you could tell the spirit of Kobe Bean Bryant was in the room. Lakers legends and Phil Jackson spoke about this moment and the impact of Kobe’s legacy. 

The statue is symbolic to his career as a Laker: 5 NBA Championships sitting on a black triangle shaped base, an ode to the triangle offense of former Lakers coach Phil Jackson and assistant Tex Winter. Standing 19 feet high and weighing 4,000 pounds; it was fitting for Kobe, with a quote on the side of the base with his quote: “Leave the game better than you found it. And when it comes time for you to leave, leave a legend.” 

The words of Kobe Bean Bryant were felt on this mid-afternoon in Los Angeles, California. He defined what it meant to wear the purple and gold. Greatness and championship expectations are the standard, and he understood the aspirations of his legacy. The city of Los Angeles feels as if Kobe isn’t gone in spirit. His legacy goes beyond basketball and how he left his impact on the city hasn’t faded. Lakers governor Jeanie Buss, former teammate Derek Fisher, Laker great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Phil Jackson took the podium before Vanessa as she was the last speaker for the ceremony. 

During the NBA on TNT Pregame Show, Hall of Famer and Laker great Shaquille O’Neal had the best line in a heartfelt manner: “If I had one wish, I wish we’d be talking to him about the statue.” Yes, we all felt that Shaq and like all Laker fans, it would’ve capped off a great unveiling. To honor Kobe, Nike released a limited edition t-shirt and hoodie in celebration of 2/8/2024, along with a couple models of shoes as well.

In the latter part of the evening, the current Lakers played the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets. Wearing the Nike “Black Mamba” jersey which was designed by Kobe himself. These jerseys are worn on special games; the last time was during the 2020 NBA Finals in Orlando, Florida during the bubble. Prior to the game, fans in attendance received a “Black Mamba” jersey as well. Players wearing Nike warmups with Kobe’s signature logo on the front. In the end, they lost to Denver 114-106. 

Kobe Bean Bryant will forever be a legend in the hearts of many Laker fans. Even in the new generation, his understudies still speak highly of the valuable lessons learned to better their life on and off the basketball court. No matter how the media critiques your game, Kobe was the one who didn’t pay any attention to any outside noise. Pushing to greater limits in achieving greatness. As a Nike commercial with Kobe once said: “Heroes come and go; legends are forever.” 

Stai tuned