The Los Angeles Lakers will honor the late Kobe Bryant with a statue in front of Crypto.com Arena. The team will unveil the statue on Feb. 8, 2024.
The date of Thursday’s news (8/24) and the date of the unveiling are significant because Bryant wore jersey Nos. 8 and 24 during his career.
“Since arriving in the city and joining the Lakers organization, (Kobe) felt at home here, playing in the City of Angels,” his wife, Vanessa Bryant, said in an announcement video.
Kobe’s legacy immortalized.
2•8•24 pic.twitter.com/WHQBXZJ2gD
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 24, 2023
Bryant spent his entire 20-year career with the Lakers, winning five championships with the franchise and becoming one of the NBA’s biggest stars.
The Charlotte Hornets drafted Bryant with the 13th pick in 1996 and then traded him to the Lakers for center Vlade Divac. Bryant went on to win the 2007-08 NBA MVP Award, two Finals MVPs, two Olympic gold medals and receive 18 All-Star selections.
Bryant retired in 2016 with 33,643 career points and played in 1,346 career games. In his final game, on April 13, 2016, he went out with an ending fit for Hollywood by scoring 60 points and leading the Lakers to an improbable comeback over the Utah Jazz.
In 2017, the Lakers retired both of Bryant’s jersey…
