The late Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi are now honored with a statue outside of Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The bronze statue is inspired by an iconic image of the father-daughter duo at a 2019 basketball game. Vanessa Bryant delivered an emotional speech as the statue was officially unveiled to the world.
“We merged two iconic courtside moments of Kobe and Gigi. 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,” Vanessa said, according to NBA.com. “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.”
The sculpture, created by artists from the Rotblatt Amrany Studio and designed by Karon Davis, shows Kobe wrapping his arm around Gigi while angel wings protect them from behind. Additionally, the statue features an Italianate Garden to honor Kobe’s childhood in Italy.
The purple and gold flowers represent Kobe’s legendary career with the Los Angeles Lakers while the engraved butterflies symbolize hope for the future. The script on the sculpture reads “Gianna Bryant, Inspirational Icon for Girls in Sports” and “Kobe Bryant, Proud Supporter of Women in Sports.” The famous Mamba and Mambacita logos are also featured on the statue. Another script under the pair’s name shows a message from the “Most Valuable Girl Dad” stating, “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.”
The statue was installed on August 2 to represent the numbers Kobe and Gigi wore during their basketball careers. While Kobe built himself into a hall-of-fame basketball player, Gigi was already showing a promising future in the sport. That promising future was cut short when Kobe and Gigi died in a helicopter crash in January 2020.
“Gianna would be going into her first year of college this year,” Vanessa said during her speech. “We would be watching her shine on the court. Now her spirit is shining a path she has created for young girls and for women in sports. In honor of Kobe and Gigi, I ask you this: give young girls your time. Give them your support. Tell them they can do anything any man can do and tell them they can exceed that, because they can, they have and they will.”
