We love it when sports legends are honored correctly, especially icons as influential as Kobe Byrant. While it may sound like an easy thing to do, franchises mess up more times than you may think. Remember the statue the Washington Commanders created to honor team legend Sean Taylor? It was ridiculous.
Thankfully, the Los Angeles Lakers showed they know how to do it right when they recently honored Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest players in their franchise’s history, who passed away Jan. 26, 2020.
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On Thursday evening, prior to the Lakers’ matchup with the Denver Nuggets, Vanessa Bryant, her daughters, players, fans and executives all gathered at Crypto.com Arena to watch the unveiling of Black Mamba’s statue.
This unveiling came on 2/8/24, which is the perfect date considering it honors both Kobe and his talented daughter, Gianna, who wore the No. 2 when she played AAU basketball.
During the emotional ceremony, Vanessa gave an incredible short speech. She began by saying, “It goes without saying that today is an especially sad day for us since Kobe and Gigi aren’t here for what is supposed to be an incredibly joyous moment and Kobe’s legacy.”
She continued, “Kobe has so many people that have supported him all over the world from the very beginning. And this moment isn’t just for Kobe, but it’s for all of you that have been rooting for him all of these years.”
Before anyone voiced their opinion the way Kobe’s statue is positioned, Vanessa clarified during her speech, “Kobe picked the pose you’re about to see, so if anyone has any issues with it, tough s**t.”
While this was an awesome moment for NBA fans, it’s still hard to believe one of the most beloved, influential, and famous athletes in the history of sports is no longer with us. He was more than a player, he was an idea.
People across the world tried to emulate the “Mamba Mentality.” The idea that you work as hard as you can so when you get in those challenging times, you lean on that hard work to pull you through. That’s what Kobe Bryant represented, and that’s seems to be the message behind the statue as well.
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