The long wait has finally come to an end as the Los Angeles Lakers have unveiled the Kobe Bryant statue that will be part of the Crypto.com Arena for years to come. In a room filled with legends, a courageous Vanessa Bryant took the stage to share some notable features of the new statue. These were a few demands that the late legend’s wife asked for and the creators have met them.

The details that Vanessa requested were, “Kobe’s five championship trophies, Kobe’s career accolades, the QR code, to watch Kobe’s highlights…and the triangle-shaped base…for the triangle offense.” Well, no one can deny these fitting features and details for the ‘Black Mamba’.

Vanessa further shared, “One detail you may notice on the statue is that all of our daughters’ names are tattooed on Kobe’s arm…That specific detail is for Kobe.” Well, what more can you ask for? That was the icing on the cake!

The statue includes five Larry O’Brien trophies that Bryant won and it sits on a black, triangle-shaped base, an ode to Phil Jackson’s triangle offense. In a modern twist, there is a QR code on the statue for fans to scan with their phones, leading to a Bryant highlight video narrated by Denzel Washington.

Vanessa also revealed that this pose was Kobe’s choice. “So much goes into this process and I’m really grateful for everyone who has helped make this special day happen. And for the record, Kobe picked the pose you are about to see, so if anyone has any issues with it, tough s***,“ as the entire arena burst out into laughter.

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However, the surprising element here was the announcement that this statue won’t be the last. “He will have three statues in front of the arena, also known as ‘The House That Kobe Built’. One wearing the number ‘8’, one with beautiful daughter Gianna, and one wearing the number ’24’. Julie Amrany worked in this particular statue and did a great job and capturing the moment Kobe wanted.”

Vanessa has been adamant when it comes to the Kobe Bryant statue

We all knew that the Lakers were eventually going to immortalize the 5x NBA champion with a statue. However, many believe this was done a bit too late. Bryant retired in 2016 and he passed away in 2020. Now it is 2024 and this was long overdue. Vanessa was adamant that the statue must be unveiled this year, along with a few demands to honor her husband.

It is a rare occasion for someone to get multiple statues. There is no doubt that Bryant deserves it, and this is what the Lakers fans would also want. However, this is the first time in history that a player has had multiple statues in the same arena. This was only because of Vanessa Bryant.

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