The statue of five-time NBA champion (2000-2002, 2009, 2010) with the Lakers, offensive guard Kobe Bryant, was unveiled on February 8 in Los Angeles (California, USA).
According to the club's press service, the bronze monument, 5.8 meters high and weighing about 1800 kilograms, depicts "The Black Mamba" in a victory pose after the game against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006, where Bryant scored 81 points (second among the NBA players by the number of points scored in one game). The opening date is a reference to the game numbers 8 and 24 which the guard wore during his time playing for the California club, as well as the number 2 which Bryant's daughter, Gianna, wore.
Bryant played for the Los Angeles Lakers his entire career, from 1996 to 2016. His accomplishments also include titles as the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player, the league's Most Valuable Player (2006-2007), and two Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012. On January 26, 2020, a private helicopter, carrying Bryant and his daughter, crashed near the city of Calabasas (California, USA). Everyone on board died: the basketball player himself, his daughter Gianna, six friends of the family and the pilot.