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Kobe Bryant alongside his family in 2016. | Photo courtesy of Eric Garcetti/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
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With plans already in place to light the Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier in honor of Kobe Bryant Thursday evening, the Laker legend’s widow, Vanessa, made this “Mamba Day” doubly memorable by announcing Thursday that the team will unveil a statue of her late husband outside Crypto.com Arena in February.
Vanessa Bryant’s announcement on social media came on “Mamba Day,” the unofficial L.A. celebration of Kobe that takes place every Aug. 24, or 8/24, in a nod to the two uniform numbers he wore during his career. It also came one day after what would have been Bryant’s 45th birthday.
“As you know, Kobe played his entire 20-year NBA career as a Los Angeles Laker,” Vanessa Bryant said in her social media video.
“Since arriving in this city and joining the Lakers organization, he felt at home here, playing in the City of Angels. On behalf of the Lakers, my daughters and me, I am so honored that right 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 bronze statue will be unveiled at Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 8, 2024, prior to the team’s home game that evening.
Other Laker greats commemorated with a statue are Elgin Baylor, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Jerry West and announcer Chick Hearn.
Meanwhile, the Ferris wheel in Santa Monica will be illuminated in Laker gold and purple and display the numbers 8 and 24 starting at sunset Thursday.
The display will also feature messages that read “LA (heart) 8” and “LA (heart) 24,” along with various gold and purple patterns and transitions. It will continue flashing on the 90-foot-tall wheel through midnight.
Bryant, known as “Black Mamba” during his 20-year Hall of Fame NBA career, died Jan. 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash in Calabasas that also took the lives of his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.
On his birthday Wednesday, Bryant was trending on social media as fans remembered the shooting guard who helped lead the Lakers to five NBA titles and appeared in 18 all-star games.
“Happy birthday, baby. I love you always & forever. (heart),” his widow, Vanessa, wrote on Instagram Wednesday in a post that included 10 pictures of the couple.
Both of Kobe Bryant’s uniform numbers were retired by the Lakers in 2017, the year after he hung up his sneakers — making him the first NBA player to have two numbers retired by the same team. He wore No. 8 from 1996 to 2006, then switched to No. 24 for the rest of his career.
Last year on Mamba Day, a giant outdoor mural was unveiled at the offices of the West Coast Trial Lawyers at 1147 S. Hope St. It’s just a few blocks from Crypto.com Arena, where Bryant starred when it was known as Staples Center.
The mural depicts a close-up of Bryant’s face in black-and-white, flanked by a mamba snake on the left and, in color, a group of children — including Gianna — playing basketball atop a giant book.
The book is “Epoca,” one of the children’s stories Bryant created through his Granity Studios company after he retired from basketball.
Bryant played his entire career with the Lakers and became the team’s all-time leader in games (1,346), minutes played (48,637), field goals (11,719) and 3-point goals (1,827), among numerous team records.
He also is the Lakers’ all-time leader in points with 33,643. Abdul-Jabbar finished his 20-year career with a then-NBA-record 38,387 points, but only 24,176 were achieved in his 14 seasons with the Lakers. LeBron James this past February surpassed Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time mark, but only 7,614 of James’ points have been recorded in his five seasons with the Lakers.
