"So beautiful" - David Beckham joins La La Anthony and more to celebrate Kobe Bryant and Gigi's statue
The LA Lakers unveiled a second statue of Kobe Bryant on Friday outside the Crypto.com Arena. It also features Bryant's daughter Gigi, who died with him and seven others in January 2020 in a helicopter crash. Several high-profile celebrities reacted to the amazing artwork and tribute on social media.
Vanessa Bryant uploaded photos of the statue featuring her late husband and daughter based on their appearances at a Lakers game in December 2019. It was their final public appearance as well before their deaths a month later.
David Beckham was one of the first celebrities to react to the new statues outside the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
La La Anthony, Michael Rubin, Jessica Alba, Tina Knowles, Josh Cohen, Kris Jenner, Rachel Zoe, Anjelah Johnson-Reyes and Alessandra Ambrosie also commented on Vanessa's post.
"So beautiful," Beckham wrote.
"Family," Anthony commented.
Here are the screenshots of the people who reacted to Gigi and Kobe Bryant's statue via Vanessa's IG:
The Kobe Bryant and Gigi Bryant statue is located at the 11th Street Entrance outside Crypto.com Arena. It's near the Chick Hearn Court and Georgia Street and was available for public viewing starting on Saturday.
According to the press release from the LA Lakers, the statue is designed by Karon Davis and brought to life by the Rotblatt Amrany Studio. It features Kobe and Gigi sitting at courtside wearing the colors of their shirt, exactly what they had during their last public appearance.
"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.
"He's also wearing a WNBA hoodie he wore courtside to the game with Gigi. ... Kobe was the ultimate Girl Dad and Gigi was the ultimate Daddy’s girl," Vanessa Bryant said in a statement.
Third Kobe Bryant statue to be unveiled next season
The LA Lakers announced last year that Kobe Bryant will get three statues outside the Crypto.com Arena as a way to honor the late legend. The first statue was unveiled to the public on Feb. 8, 2024, which are the numbers of both Bryant (8 & 24) and Gigi (2).
It was Kobe celebrating his 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors, where he was wearing the No. 8 jersey. The second statue, as mentioned above, is a tribute to the Lakers legend's love for his daughter. The date also coincided with their numbers, which is 8/2/2024.
According to CBS Sports, Kobe's third statue will feature the legend wearing the No. 24 jersey, which he used from 2006 until his retirement.