Statue_of_Kobe_Bryant

Statue of Kobe Bryant

Statue of Kobe Bryant

Sculpture in Los Angeles, California, U.S.

The Kobe Bean Bryant Memorial Statue in Los Angeles, California, is a work of public art by the American artist Julie Rotblatt-Amrany. The 19-foot bronze sculpture of the American basketball player Kobe Bryant stands on a plinth in front of the Crypto.com Arena and was unveiled in 2024.[1][2][3][4]

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History

On February 8, 2024, The Los Angeles Lakers unveiled a 19-foot statue of deceased retired NBA player Kobe Bryant outside of the Crypto.com Arena.[5] The statue, sculpted by Julie Rotblatt-Amrany,[6] depicts Bryant's finger skyward pose after his famous career-high 81-point game on January 22, 2006, against the Toronto Raptors, with his name and scorer's report from that game etched into the statue.[7] The statue honoring Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant received some mixed reactions from fans shortly after the statue's unveiling.[8]

Reception

Around one month after the statue's unveiling, fans outside of Crypto.com Arena began to spot multiple spelling errors on the sculpture.[9] The errors included misspelling of Toronto Raptors guard José Calderón as "Jose Calderson", misspelling of Los Angeles Lakers guard Von Wafer as "Vom Wafer", and the word "decision" misspelled as "decicion" in the sentence, "Coach's decision".[10] Bryant's facsimile signature also read, "Kobe 24" despite him wearing his white No. 8 Lakers uniform on the statue.

Some fans were disappointed by the statue, saying that the statue's face looked more like former NBA and NBA G League player Andre Ingram,[8] and that the statue had a lack of detail. Others said that the statue was small, which they said was a "disrespect to Kobe."[11] Fans also pointed out minor formatting errors on the base of the statue which displays many of Bryant's accomplishments throughout his 20-season-long career.

The Los Angeles Lakers on March 11, 2024, announced their plans to correct and fix spelling errors and formatting errors on the statue, which were completed on April 9, 2024.[12] The sculpture is one of the three memorials planned to stand outside their downtown arena.[13]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "'Vom Wafer': Lakers forced to correct errors on statue dedicated to Kobe Bryant". The Guardian. 2024-03-11. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  2. [2]
    "Kobe Bryant immortalized with a 19-foot bronze statue outside the Lakers' downtown arena". NBC News. 2024-02-09. Archived from the original on 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  3. [3]
    Soto, Missael (2024-02-08). "Kobe Bryant's statue unveiled outside Crypto.com Arena". NBC Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 2024-02-15. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  4. [4]
    "Kobe Bryant Statue Unveiled at Lakers Home Game, 2 More Statues Announced". People Magazine. Archived from the original on 2024-02-11. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  5. [5]
    "Lakers to unveil Kobe Bryant statue in 2024". NBA.com. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  6. [6]
    Yakimowich, Carlos (February 20, 2024). "Meet the Artist Behind the New Kobe Bryant Statue". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  7. [7]
    "Lakers 122-104 Raptors (Jan 22, 2006) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  8. [8]
    Amurao, Reign (February 9, 2024). "Kobe statue face looks more like Andre Ingram - Kobe Bryant's statue unveiled by Lakers has NBA fans disappointed". Sportskeeda. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  9. [9]
    Rozier, Alex (March 11, 2024). "Kobe Bryant may have chased perfection, but his statue has imperfections". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  10. [10]
    Mohtasham, Diba (March 12, 2024). "A new Kobe Bryant statue has multiple errors. It's not the first memorial with typos". NPR. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  11. [11]
    Martinez, Nico (February 9, 2024). "Lakers Fans Are Displeased With Kobe Bryant's New Statue: "Disrespect To Kobe..."". Fadeaway World. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  12. [12]
    "Errors corrected on Kobe statue outside arena". ESPN.com. 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  13. [13]
    "Lakers plan to correct handful of errors on base of Kobe Bryant statue". NBA. Associated Press. March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
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