Statue honoring Kobe Bryant, daughter Gianna unveiled outside Crypto.com Arena

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A poignant statue honoring Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant was unveiled in a private ceremony Friday outside Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.

The statue depicts the NBA legend with his arm around his smiling daughter. Both are seated, with an angel's wings behind them, wearing clothes that are similar in style and color to what they wore when they attended their last game at Staples Center on Dec. 29, 2019.

The father and daughter were all smiles as they sat courtside to watch the Lakers take on the Dallas Mavericks. The green color of Bryant's beanie on that night also inspired Nike's "Girl Dad" sneakers that were released earlier this summer.

A plaque at the base of the statue, which is surrounded by a purple and gold flower bed, includes 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."

The memorial sculpture will be available for the public to visit starting Saturday morning, sources told ESPN.

Bryant's widow, Vanessa, shared a photo of her sitting next to the statue on Instagram with the caption "Kobe & Gigi."

The statue is the second of three planned monuments to Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash along with 13-year-old Gigi and seven others in 2020. The first statue was unveiled in February of this year.

Corrections to the Kobe Bryant statue outside of Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles were completed.

Friday's date (8/2/24) holds symbolic meaning to the father and daughter's jersey numbers that they wore on the basketball court.

The statue of the father and daughter is located near the Los Angeles Kings' monument celebrating the team's 50th anniversary.

Fans outside the arena Friday said they were excited the Lakers have decided to not just once again honor Kobe, but Gigi as well.

Fans outside the arena Friday said they were excited the Lakers have decided to not just once again honor Kobe, but Gigi as well.

"He's so caring about his daughters," said fan Toni Ricke. "He (was) always trying to teach them the game of basketball, just trying to give his best on the court and off the court... He's like the best father you can imagine, right?"

As for the third statue, Vanessa revealed at the February ceremony it would show her late husband donning his No. 24 Lakers uniform.

The third statue is expected to be unveiled sometime next season, sources told ESPN.

ESPN contributed to this report.