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A statue of Kobe Bryant has been unveiled at the home court of the Los Angeles Lakers, with wife Vanessa revealing it is the first of three honouring the late NBA superstar.
Bryant played 20 seasons with the Lakers, winning five championships and scoring 33,643 points, which places him fourth in NBA history.
Shown off for the first time at a ceremony featuring Bryant's former teammates, former coach Phil Jackson, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and friends and family, the statue shows Bryant pointing to the sky while wearing the number eight jersey he made famous in his first decade with the Lakers.
The moment captured in bronze marks the end of his 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors in January, 2006 — second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point effort in 1962.
Vanessa Bryant, perhaps anticipating some criticism of the statue, said before the sheet was removed that her late husband chose the design.
"For the record, Kobe picked the pose you're about to see," she said.
"So if anybody has any issue with it, tough shit."
She also revealed two more statues of Bryant would be erected outside the arena in downtown Los Angeles that plays host to the Lakers and Clippers in the NBA, the Sparks in the WNBA and the Kings in the NHL.
"Because fans all over the world and the city of Angels loved Kobe so much, he will have three statues in front of the arena, also known as The House That Kobe Built," Vanessa Bryant said.
"One wearing the number eight, one with our beautiful daughter Gianna, and one wearing the number 24."
Kobe, daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash in January 2020.
A statue of the late Bryants was placed at the crash site in 2022.
Gianna, known as GiGi, wore number two when playing basketball, with her dad often coaching. Bryant's first statue was unveiled on February 8, 2024 — 2/8/24.
Bryant's statues will join Elgin Baylor, Shaquille O'Neal, Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Jerry West and announcer Chick Hearn outside the Los Angeles venue.
Other NBA legends like Chamberlain, Michael Jordan and Dirk Nowitzki have statues outside their home arenas, while the Miami Heat recently revealed 2006 champion Dwyane Wade would be the first member of the team immortalised in bronze.
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