Current:Home > NewsLakers unveil 'girl dad' statue of Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna -ValueMetric
Lakers unveil 'girl dad' statue of Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna
View
Date:2025-04-16 21:04:28
The newest statue of late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant pays honor to the special bond between him and his daughter, Gianna.
The Lakers and the Bryant family unveiled the second of three planned statues outside the team's home Crypto.com Arena on Friday. The statue is of Kobe and Gianna Bryant when they attended a Lakers game and the father embraced his daughter. The statue also has angel wings behind the Bryants. In front of the statue is a plaque that reads "Gianna Bryant, Inspirational Icon for Girls in Sports" and "Kobe Bryant, Proud Supporter of Women in Sports," and a quote from Bryant.
"Gianna is a beast. She's better than I was at her age. She's got it. Girls are amazing. I would have five more girls if I could. I'm a girl dad," it reads from the "most valuable girl dad."
Vanessa Bryant explains meaning of statue
The statue unveiling came on the special day of Aug. 2, 2024, also known as 8/2/24, which is the combination of Bryant's jersey numbers in the NBA (8 and 24) and Gianna's number when she played basketball (2).
All things Lakers: Latest Los Angeles Lakers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.
Kobe and Gianna died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020.
"We merged two iconic courtside moments of Kobe and Gigi," Vanessa Bryant said in a private ceremony, according to the Lakers. "Gianna has her gorgeous smile on her face and Kobe is kissing the top of her head while wearing the Philadelphia Eagles beanie that Gigi gifted him for Christmas. He’s also wearing a WNBA hoodie he wore courtside to the game with Gigi. Kobe was the first NBA player to wear that orange hoodie to a big game and that was to show his support for Gigi's dreams and for women across all sports. That was a moment he shared with Gigi that will always be a powerful representation of the movement towards equality that was always so important to our family.
“Kobe was the ultimate girl dad and Gigi was the ultimate daddy’s girl," she added.
The wife of the basketball Hall of Famer said the statue should serve as a reminder to continue to help young girls achieve greatness in sports, and let them know they can not only do anything a boy can do, but also be greater at it.
"If young girls can see professional women play, they know they have the potential to be them. They know those ambitions aren’t just dreams but will become a reality. Let’s build up the next generation of athletes. It’s what Gigi and Kobe would want us to do," Vanessa Bryant said.
The statue will be available for public viewing Saturday morning.
Three statues are planned to be put up outside of the Lakers' home arena. The first one, unveiled in February, shows Bryant wearing the No. 8 jersey in a pose from his 81-point game, a pose Vanessa said he chose. The third, which has does not have a date for its unveiling, will be of Bryant in his No. 24 jersey.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
veryGood! (6117)
Related
- Audit: California risked millions in homelessness funds due to poor anti-fraud protections
- 11 taken to hospital as Delta jetliner hits turbulence near Atlanta airport
- Erika Jayne accused of committing fraud scheme with Secret Service agents, American Express
- A Ugandan man is charged with aggravated homosexuality and could face the death penalty
- Olympic disqualification of gold medal hopeful exposes 'dark side' of women's wrestling
- Kate Spade’s Labor Day 2023 Deals Are Here With 60% Off Bags, Shoes, Jewelry, and More
- West Virginia University recommends keeping some language classes, moving forward with axing majors
- Saudi Arabia gets some unlikely visitors when a plane full of Israelis makes an emergency landing
- NCAA hits former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh with suspension, show-cause for recruiting violations
- Paris Jackson slams 'abuse' from Michael Jackson superfans over birthday post for King of Pop
Ranking
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- Revelers hurl tomatoes at each other and streets awash in red pulp in Spanish town’s Tomatina party
- Opponents of Nebraska plan to use public money for private school tuition seek ballot initiative
- Nebraska aiming for women's attendance record with game inside football's Memorial Stadium
- Big Lots store closures could exceed 300 nationwide, discount chain reveals in filing
- Kremlin says ‘Deliberate wrongdoing’ among possible causes of plane crash that killed Prigozhin
- Cops find over 30 dead dogs in New Jersey home; pair charged with animal cruelty, child endangerment
- Crews rescue woman, dog 150 feet down Utah’s Mary Jane Canyon after flood swept them away
Recommendation
RFK Jr. grilled again about moving to California while listing New York address on ballot petition
Judge sets start date of March 4 for Trump's federal election interference trial
Trump's 4 indictments in detail: A quick-look guide to charges, trial dates and key players for each case
Who’s running for president? See a rundown of the 2024 candidates
Olympic women's basketball bracket: Schedule, results, Team USA's path to gold
Singer Ray Jacobs, Known as AUGUST 08, Dead at 31
Bomb threat at Target in New Berlin was a hoax, authorities say
'It's what we do': Florida manatee caught in pound net rescued, freed by Virginia Marine Police