SUMMARY
- The Los Angeles Lakers unveiled the first Kobe Bryant statue outside the Crypto.com Arena on February 8, 2024
- The statue portrays Kobe in his No. 8 jersey, and it was revealed during the dedication ceremony that two more statues will follow.
The Los Angeles Lakers faced off against the defending champions of the league on February 8, 2024. There was one more highlight for the night, apart from the fact that the California team was facing off against the Denver Nuggets after the latter swept the championship title last season. The showtime Lakers unveiled the grand Kobe Bryant statue outside the Crypto.com Arena before stepping on the hardwood.
To the astonishment of many, this statue is just the first one in the series. During the dedication ceremony, Vanessa Bryant, wife of ‘Black Mamba,’ revealed that there will be two more statues of Kobe after this one. It’s worth noting that Kobe Bryant has donned a No. 8 jersey in this statue and will have the No. 24 jersey in the second statue. However, very few know the reason why he volunteered to change his jersey number after playing 20 years in the No. 8 jersey.
‘Employee #8’ changed his jersey number to 24 during the 2006-2007 season. Although ‘Kobe Wan Kenobi’ described this change as a depiction of his overall growth, other players in the league had a different reason to justify the change. As an NBA fan, one must know that Michael Jordan wore jersey No. 23 in the league. According to Garnett, Bryant wanted to convey the message that he is a step above Jordan and that too in a subtle way.
How many games did Kobe Bryant play in the No. 24 jersey?
‘Kob-Me’ played 639 games in the No. 24 jersey. He clocked 23,398 minutes, 16,777 points, 3,413 rebounds, and 3,158 assists with his new jersey. What’s astonishing is that although the legend played 20 years with the No. 8 jersey and just 10 with the No. 24 jersey, he was still able to match the number of games played and the points made with each jersey.
According to ESPN, the 5-time NBA champion put up better numbers than what the Hall of Famers Tiny Archibald, James Worthy, and Pete Maravich could bag in their entire careers. The second Kobe statue will depict him with the No. 24 jersey, and the third one will represent both Bryant and his daughter, Gianna Bryant. The question arises: which jersey will Gianna’s statue have?
Why did Gianna Bryant wear a No. 2 jersey?
Gianna Bryant, often referred to as ‘Gigi,’ wanted to carry his father’s basketball legacy forward and hence found her knack for the game soon enough. Not only that, she was quite famous for her untimely passes. However, it was her admiration for a soccer player and her game that she decided to choose a No. 2 jersey as a hooper.
Sydney Leroux Dwyer is a professional women’s soccer player, an Olympic medalist, and a World Cup winner. She wears a No. 2 jersey, and since Gigi was so impressed by her career trajectory, she developed a queer preference for the same jersey. Vanessa Bryant revealed this story in an Instagram post after the unfortunate demise of Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant.