Kobe Bryant was an incredible basketball player and a relentless social worker. His legacy left a mark on the lives that he crossed paths with in person or via the internet. Not everybody got the chance to watch Kobe blossom into one of the greatest players of all time. However, with the existence of social media, the moments he lived through will last forever.
His wife, Vanessa Bryant has been working hard to maintain the legacy that he created. The Black Mamba passed away following a horrific helicopter over Calabasas, California. Along with him, his daughter Gianna also lost her life. Vanessa has been coming up with different ideas to carry on his legacy. Recently, she helped Nike design a shoe to celebrate Kobe’s 45th birth anniversary. The shoes were named Nike Kobe Proto 8s which were released just before his birthday.
⚪️👀 The details on the upcoming Nike Kobe 8 Protro “Halo.”
Releasing on Kobe Bryant’s birthday (8/23). pic.twitter.com/xyFR1BpHWd
— KICKS CREW (@kickscrew) August 14, 2023
Similarly, the City of Los Angeles continues to honor Kobe Bryant in various ways. Some carry his never-quit mentality while others use their talents and expertise to create memorabilia. LA has a couple of murals all around town to honor the legend. While most players are business-minded, the NBA legend stuck with the LA Lakers through trials and tribulations. During those 20 years, he won 5x NBA titles, won over 800 games, and became the franchise’s leading scorer with 33,643 points.
Crypto.com Arena will unveil Kobe Bryant statue on 02.08.24
Earlier this month, the Crypto.com Arena (formerly known as the Staples Center) announced that the stadium will install a Kobe Bryant statue next season. Fans often claim that the Crypto.com Arena was the house that Kobe built. The arena already has several statues installed of other Lakers legends such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Shaquille O’Neal, and Magic Johnson. Kobe’s statue will be one of the most meaningful ones in the vicinity.
Vanessa Bryant recently confirmed that the statue will be unveiled on 02.08.24. These numbers were worn by Kobe and Gianna during games. The Mamba wore No.8 during the first half of his career and switched to No.24 during the latter half of it. These numbers were also retired by the Lakers and the jerseys currently hang above the bleachers in the stadium.
BREAKING: Vanessa Bryant announces that a Kobe Bryant statue will be unveiled outside of Crypto Arena on 2.8.24.
Amazing. pic.twitter.com/4ZmxogheMe
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 24, 2023
This isn’t the only statue that will be in existence in honor of the 18x All-Star. Two years after his death, a sculptor named Dan Medina made a statue in honor of Bryant. The 150 lbs monument was placed at the crash site in Calabasas. Medina’s statue was made out of bronze and included a quote, “Heroes come and go but legends are forever…” along with the names of victims from the tragedy.