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Kobe Bryant Statue Unveiling Ceremony: Kobe Bryant becomes the seventh Lakers icon commemorated with a statue.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers unveiled a statue of Kobe Bryant on Thursday, honoring their late superstar with a 19-foot bronze likeness outside their downtown stadium.
The 4,000-pound statue depicts Bryant wearing his white No. 8 jersey with his right index finger raised as he walked off the court following his 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in January 2006.
Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, said during the dedication ceremony that the statue is the first of three that will be created to honor the five-time NBA champion and leading scorer in Lakers history. Another statue will feature Bryant wearing his No. 24 jersey, which he wore during the second half of his career, while a third will depict Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, who died with him and seven others in a helicopter crash in January. 2020.
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“This statue may look like Kobe, but it’s actually what excellence looks like,” said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. “What discipline looks like. What commitment looks like. …He captures a person frozen in time, at the same time he recognizes that the reason there is a statue is because that person is timeless. “We are all here today to honor a man who represents not only extraordinary sporting achievements, but also timeless values that inspire us all to try harder to not only be better, but also give our best.”
The first statue was unveiled in a ceremony attended by dozens of Lakers greats and hundreds of season ticket holders. Vanessa Bryant spoke at the ceremony after comments from team owner Jeanie Buss, former teammate Derek Fisher, Abdul-Jabbar and longtime Lakers coach Phil Jackson.
“I think about Kobe constantly and miss him and Gigi more than words can express,” Buss said. “But today I am filled with joy because I know that in the future fans will gather here in the shadow of this statue next to this building where Kobe gave us so many memories, and we will share what he meant to us. In doing so, we will motivate a new generation to emulate the Mamba Mentality.”
Bryant retired in 2016 after a 20-year career entirely with the Lakers. He is the fourth leading scorer in NBA history with 33,643 points, and his accolades included 18 NBA All-Star selections and two NBA Finals MVP awards.
His death has barely dulled the shine of his presence in Los Angeles, where he remains a beloved icon of his adopted city. Bryant and his daughter appear in hundreds of vibrant public murals throughout the Southland.
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