Los Angeles — The Lakers’ latest Kobe Bryant monument recognizes his close relationship with his daughter and his desire to be a “Girl Dad.”
The new statue depicts a scene from December 29, 2019, when the father and daughter sat courtside to watch the Lakers’ home game versus the Dallas Mavericks. Gianna gave Kobe an Eagles ski cap for Christmas, and he wore an orange WNBA sweatshirt. Photos show the duo discussing the play on the court.
Kobe and Gianna Bryant were among the nine people killed in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020, in Calabasas. The second of three Kobe Bryant monuments, located at the Crypto.com Arena 11th Street entrance, commemorates his joyful transition from retirement to coaching his daughter’s youth basketball team.
The new monument depicts Kobe, dressed identically to how he and Gianna looked during the 2019 Lakers game, kissing his daughter on the head. In homage to Kobe’s early years spent in Italy, angel wings rest behind them, while a bed of purple and yellow flowers and symmetrical benches surround them.
The phrase “Gianna is a beast” is written on a plaque. At her age, she’s better than I was. She understands. Girls are wonderful. If I could, I would have five more girls. I’m a father of a girl.” The source of the quote is “Kobe Bryant, Most Valuable Girl Dad.” The Mambacita logo and the phrases “Gianna Bryant, inspirational icon for girls in sports” and “Kobe Bryant, proud supporter of women in sports” are featured on the plaque’s top.
Kobe Bryant’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, explained why her family places a strong emphasis on supporting women’s sports during a private event. “We were faced with the harsh reality that no matter how great Gianna was or could be, no matter how great her daddy taught her how to play, or even if she played exactly like Kobe, she would not have had the same benefits and opportunities that her dad and young men currently have because she’s a girl,” Vanessa said in a release from the Lakers. “That’s when the challenge to change the perception of women’s sports started in our household.”
Next month, Gianna would have started her first year of college. Although her mother hopes that fans will respect Kobe and Gianna’s legacy, her career was cut short.
“I ask you this: give young girls your time,” Vanessa Bryant said. “Give them your support. Tell them they can do anything any man can do and tell them they can exceed that, because they can, they have and they will. Iron sharpens iron. Reassure that confidence and see how much they thrive. “Sometimes, all we need is one person to believe in us, even if that one person is ourselves. Take girls to watch women play sports. Buy those tickets to the game if you can. Watch women’s games on TV with your daughters, nieces and cousins. If young girls can see professional women play, they know they have the potential to be them. They know those ambitions aren’t just dreams but will become a reality. Let’s build up the next generation of athletes. It’s what Gigi and Kobe would want us to do.”
The Rotblatt Amrany Studio artists originally worked with Karon Davis to develop the statue. The No. 2 jersey number Gianna wore as a player for Bryant’s Mamba Academy and the No. 8 and No. 24 jersey numbers Bryant wore with the Lakers made the date of the new statue’s unveiling, 8/2/24, noteworthy.
Visitors can start exploring the statue on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. PDT. An equally important occasion in February (2/8/24) saw the unveiling of the first Kobe Bryant monument at Crypto.com Arena. The 4,000-pound, 19-foot-tall bronze memorial features Bryant wearing his No. 8 jersey. In this recreation of an image from his 81-point effort against the Toronto Raptors in 2006, he is staring up toward the heavens.
The third statue, which will show Bryant in his No. 24 jersey during the final 10 years of his 20-year Lakers career, is scheduled to be unveiled at a later date.
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