The Los Angeles Lakers invited a few hundred fans and former players to come to the unveiling of Kobe Bryant‘s statue. A rich and versatile group of people showed up for this historical event. Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Metta World Peace, Dwayne Wade, and even NBA Commissioner Adam Silver were in attendance.
During an unveiling event, former Lakers coach Phil Jackson shared a candid story that did not disappoint the audience. He recounted a time when LeBron James and Michael Jordan met in a room with Kobe Bryant after he had finished showering and speaking to the press. According to Jackson, the first thing Kobe said to Jordan, who is a six-time NBA Champion, was Michael, I can take you 1-on-1.’ And Michael said, ‘Well, I think you might, I’m 37, you’re 22, right.'”
Phil also mentioned that his proudest moment of Kobe Bryant did not happen on the court. It was when Kobe was on the Jimmy Kimmel show, and he came to the defense of teammate Adam Morrison’s highlights in the 2010 NBA Finals. A compilation was created of Adam not even dressed out cheering for his teammates and he talked about the talent he had. He said taking that step back for the team meant a lot for him.
“Jay Leno [Jimmy Kimmel] was trying to make humor, he said, “Who’s this guy who was never in a uniform but always dressed who was sitting beside you?” Kobe responded
“Don’t make fun of that, that’s Adam Morrison he’s one of our teammates. He puts in the work. He may not get to dress but he puts in the work and he’s part of our team,” “And then I knew, that’s when I was the proudest of Kobe,” Jackson said.”
Vanessa Bryant spoke about her late husband, Kobe Bryant, and the statue that was made in his honor. She mentioned that Kobe had a say in the statue’s design, and if anyone had any issues with it, they should take it up with him. “For the record, Kobe picked the pose you’re about to see. So if anybody has any issue with it, tough sh*t,” Bryant’s widow said.
The pose that was chosen by Kobe and the team was him thanking the fans as he came out of the game after scoring 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in 2006. The statue stands at 19 feet tall, three feet taller than Kareem and Magic. It is double the size of Shaquille O’Neal’s statue, and some of the details used to commemorate Bryant’s career are truly incredible.
Five championships revolve around the statue, a tattoo on his arm revealing his four daughters’ names. Vanessa Bryant mentioned that even though all his girls were not alive for this performance, it was important also to include their names within the statue.
She had an incredible surprise for Lakers fans. It was announced that three statues of Bryant would be placed outside of Crypto Arena. During the confetti celebration, the first statue was revealed, featuring an impressive level of detail. The triangular base of the statue even includes a QR code to watch highlights of Bryant’s career. The statue also honors former NBA coaches Tex Winter and Phil Jackson for creating the Triangle offense, which is still highly regarded to this day.
Kobe’s accomplishments in an inscription were also included, and Magic Johnson said it’s his favorite statue that has been revealed at the arena.
“It’s the best statue I’ve ever seen, Vanessa did an amazing job,” Johnson said. He mentioned that the accolades being mentioned on the statue are essential for the young people that never seen Bryant play.
RIP Kobe.
