Current:Home > MarketsLakers unveil 'girl dad' statue of Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna-LoTradeCoin
Lakers unveil 'girl dad' statue of Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna
View Date:2024-12-23 23:38:34
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! (7)
Related
- AIT Community Introduce
- The debt ceiling, extraordinary measures, and the X Date. Why it all matters.
- Dozens of U.K. companies will keep the 4-day workweek after a pilot program ends
- Inside Clean Energy: Four Charts Tell the Story of the Post-Covid Energy Transition
- DWTS’ Sasha Farber and Jenn Tran Prove They're Closer Than Ever Amid Romance Rumors
- Missing Sub Passenger Stockton Rush's Titanic Connection Will Give You Chills
- Dawn Goodwin and 300 Environmental Groups Consider the new Line 3 Pipeline a Danger to All Forms of Life
- A Chinese Chemical Company Captures and Reuses 6,000 Tons of a Super-Polluting Greenhouse Gas
- Alexandra Daddario Shares Candid Photo of Her Postpartum Body 6 Days After Giving Birth
- Search continues for nursing student who vanished after calling 911 to report child on side of Alabama freeway
Ranking
- The Daily Money: Mattel's 'Wicked' mistake
- Sarah Jessica Parker Weighs In on Sex and the City's Worst Man Debate
- Cheers Your Cosmos to the Most Fabulous Sex and the City Gift Guide
- An Indigenous Group’s Objection to Geoengineering Spurs a Debate About Social Justice in Climate Science
- 15 new movies you'll want to stream this holiday season, from 'Emilia Perez' to 'Maria'
- Missing Titanic Submersible Passes Oxygen Deadline Amid Massive Search
- Warming Trends: Climate Divide in the Classroom, an All-Electric City and Rising Global Temperatures’ Effects on Mental Health
- Airbus Hopes to Be Flying Hydrogen-Powered Jetliners With Zero Carbon Emissions by 2035
Recommendation
-
Veterans face challenges starting small businesses but there are plenty of resources to help
-
Our 2023 valentines
-
Many U.K. grocers limit some fruit and veggie sales as extreme weather impacts supply
-
Incursions Into Indigenous Lands Not Only Threaten Tribal Food Systems, But the Planet’s Well-Being
-
John Robinson, successful football coach at USC and with the LA Rams, has died at 89
-
Arby's+? More restaurants try subscription programs to keep eaters coming back
-
A U.S. Virgin Islands Oil Refinery Had Yet Another Accident. Residents Are Demanding Answers
-
DeSantis' campaign is brutally honest about trailing Trump in presidential race, donors say