Los Angeles Lakers Announce Plans to Unveil Kobe Bryant Statue in 2024

The Los Angeles Lakers are preparing a special tribute to Kobe Bryant.

The basketball icon played for the team all 20 years that he competed in the NBA. Kobe‘s legacy is one that will never be forgotten, and it will be commemorated with a new statue in his honor.

Kobe‘s wife Vanessa partnered with the Lakers to share the news the day after what would have been his 45th birthday. It will be unveiled shortly after the fourth anniversary of Kobe‘s tragic death. He and his daughter Gianna tragically passed away in a devastating helicopter crash in January 2020.

“Since arriving in the city and joining the Lakers organization, he felt at home here playing in the City of Angels,” Vanessa said of Kobe in a video shared on the Lakers’ social media.

She continued, saying, “On behalf of the Lakers, my daughters and me, I am so honored that, right here in the center of Los Angeles, in front of the place known as ‘The House that Kobe Built,’ we are going to unveil his statue so that his legacy can be celebrated forever.”

The statue will be unveiled on February 8, 2024 and will be located at Crypto.com Arena. The day is particularly meaningful as Kobe‘s jersey numbers were 8 and 24. His daughter’s jersey number was 2, meaning that she will also be represented in the day.

“Kobe Bryant was one of the most extraordinary athletes of all time and one of the most iconic individuals in the history of Los Angeles,” Lakers owner Jeanie Buss said in a statement shared with ESPN. “There is no better place for Kobe to be honored with a statue than here, at the center of our city, where everyone can celebrate him and be inspired by his incredible achievements.”

The news comes just a few weeks after the Bryant family had a special moment at one of Taylor Swift‘s concerts.