PHOTO: Kobe Bryant's statue with daughter Gigi Bryant leaked ahead of Lakers official unveiling
The original statue of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was unveiled on Feb. 8 outside the franchise's Crypto.com arena. The bronze statue features Bryant in his iconic pose following his historic 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors. His second statue was recently revealed to the world after an image of it was leaked on X.
The second statue features "The Black Mamba" sitting next to his daughter Gigi, who was with him during the unfortunate helicopter crash that claimed their lives on Jan. 26, 2020. X user LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) shared the leaked image. The post garnered 418.3K views and 11K likes on the platform.
While sitting on a bench, the father and daughter tandem are surrounded by a pair of angel wings. ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported that the statue will be available for public visitation on Saturday, Aug. 3.
During the unveiling of her late husband's initial statue, Vanessa Bryant stated that Kobe's third memorial piece will showcase him donning his iconic #24 jersey. Bryant originally wore #8 for 10 seasons with the Lakers, dating to his rookie year.
The LAL legend first sported number 24 during the 2006-07 NBA season to signify a new outlook on his life and career. As Bleacher Report's Rob Goldberg reports, a lot transpired for Bryant in his early years that led him to a different perspective.
"Then 24 is a growth from [No. 8]," Bryant said. "Physical attributes aren't there the way they used to be, but the maturity level is greater. Marriage, kids. Start having a broader perspective being one of the older guys on the team now, as opposed to being the youngest. Things evolve."
In his 20 NBA seasons, Kobe Bryant averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
Kobe Bryant's wife shared a heartwarming detail about his first bronze statue
During the unveiling of Kobe Bryant's first statue, his wife, Vanessa Bryant, highlighted a heartwarming detail located in the arm portion of the sculpture.
"One detail you may notice is that all of our dadaughters' names are tattooed on Kobe's arm," Bryant said. Although some of our girls weren't born at a particular moment, that specific detail is for Kobe.
The first-ballot Hall of Famer has four kids with Vanessa: Natalia, Gianna, Bianka, and Capri. This detail was worth including in the statue as it highlights an important aspect of Bryant's life that transcends basketball.
During the latter years of his career, the five-time NBA Champion played for more than just his reputation and legacy. Vanessa Bryant pointed out KB24's affection for his daughters as something her husband would appreciate being included on his bronze statue.