Lakers News: Jeanie Buss Talks Kobe Bryant’s Second Statue After Reveal

The second statue was unveiled Friday.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers unveiled the second statue outside of Crypto.com Arena in dedication to late Lakers Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant. This statue depicts the moment of Kobe sitting court-side next to his daughter Gianna Bryant at the last Lakers game they attended.

The statue is not only special as it pays tribute to the late Kobe and Gianna, who were killed alongside seven others in a January 2020 helicopter crash, but because it recognizes the impact Kobe and Gianna had on women's sports and Kobe's legacy as a girl dad.

The statue does this especially with the plaque in front of Kobe and Gianna that calls Gianna an "inspirational icon for girls in sports" and Kobe a "proud supporter of women in sports." The statue also features a quote from "Most Valuable Girl Dad" Kobe that reads, "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."

8.2.24 - Kobe and Gigi forever immortalized 🦋 pic.twitter.com/WxPDMfEaRq

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 2, 2024

Lakers owner Jeanie Buss attended the private ceremony in which the statue was revealed for the first time, and said she "could not be happier" with the results.

“It’s deeply personal, but then all fans love Kobe and Gianna so much that this gives them personal time to reflect on why they were so important to us," Buss told Spectrum SportsNet. "I couldn’t be happier with how the statue turned out.”

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“The ‘girl dad’ movement really took flight with the relationship Kobe and Gianna had," Buss added. "So many dads would tell me they wanted to relate through sports to their daughter, and Kobe opened that door and made it possible … it’s inspiring a whole generation."

The Bryant family became strong supporters of women's sports over the year, which Vanessa Bryant credited in large part to Gianna's success as a youth basketball player.

"We were faced with the harsh reality that no matter how great Gianna was or could be, no matter how great her daddy taught her how to play, or even if she played exactly like Kobe, she would not have had the same benefits and opportunities that her dad and young men currently have because she's a girl," Vanessa said during her speech. "That's when the challenge to change the perception of women's sports started in our household."

Vanessa continues this legacy alongside her three other daughters through the Mamba and Mambacita foundation, which raises money for underserved athletes. They also continue to support women's sports by regularly attending women's sport games, teaming up with WNBA stars like Sabrina Ionescu, and donating shoes to women's college basketball teams.

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