Kobe Bryant to Get 3 Statues Outside of Lakers' Arena; 1 with Daughter Gianna

There will be three statues honoring late Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant at Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena.

Vanessa Bryant shared the news during the unveiling of the first statue of Bryant wearing a No. 8 jersey.

"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 Thursday.

A second Bryant statue will show him wearing a No. 24 jersey, while a third statue will feature Bryant with his daughter Gianna.

Other players commemorated with statues on the plaza include Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The ceremony was held on the date 2/8/24 in honor of the jerseys worn by Bryant and his daughter, who died alongside seven other people in a helicopter crash in 2020.

Bryant wore No. 8 from the start of his career in 1996 until the 2006-07 season, when he changed it to No. 24.

"When I first came in at 8, is really trying to 'plant your flag' sort of thing," Bryant told Baxter Holmes of ESPN in 2017 about his original jersey number. "I got to prove that I belong here in this league. ... It's nonstop energy and aggressiveness and stuff.

"Then 24 is a growth from that. Physical attributes aren't there the way they used to be, but the maturity level is greater. ... Things evolve. It's not to say one is better than the other or one's a better way to be. It's just growth."

Gianna Bryant, who wanted to eventually play basketball for UConn, wore a No. 2 jersey on her high school basketball team in Corona del Mar, California. Vanessa Bryant later said on Instagram that she chose that number in honor of Canadian soccer player Sydney Leroux.

The statue of Bryant wearing the No. 8 jersey marks the 12th statue in Star Plaza. Bryant himself picked the pose for the statue, Vanessa Bryant said.

The dates of the unveiling of the next two statues are yet to be determined, according to the Lakers.