Vanessa Bryant Delivers Heartfelt Tribute At Kobe And Gianna Statue Unveiling

On Friday, the new Kobe and Gianna Bryant statue at Crypto.com Arena was unveiled during a private ceremony, and now fans can visit the statue in honor of the former Lakers star and his daughter.

The new sculpture, honoring the bond shared between Kobe and daughter Gianna, is titled "Girl Dad." Kobe's wife Vanessa and the Lakers franchise held a special private ceremony on Friday, Aug. 2, where Vanessa gave a moving tribute to her late husband and daughter.

On Friday, Kobe and Gianna were celebrated during a private ceremony to unveil the newest statue located in a new garden landscape at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

The former Lakers star, an 18-time All-Star and five-time champion, played his entire 20 seasons in the NBA with the Lakers. The new statue is the second of three tribute sculptures and also pays tribute to his daughter Gianna "Gigi." Kobe and Gigi died tragically in January 2020 along with seven others in a helicopter accident.

The sculpture, designed by Karon Davis and created by the artists of Rotblatt Amrany Studio, depicts how Kobe and Gianna looked at the last Lakers game they attended courtside on December 29, 2019.

According to the Lakers' website, "Celebrating Kobe's love for his daughters, the bronze statue recognizes his unwavering pride in being a 'Girl Dad' and the Bryant family's support for women and girls in sports. The tribute represents Kobe and Gianna's exceptional basketball legacy and the uplifting relationship Kobe shared with all four of his daughters."

Vanessa shared a heartfelt speech in honor of her late husband and daughter. After thanking the Lakers organization and everyone who helped with the statue project, Vanessa talked proudly about her husband and daughter.

"Today's date, 8-2-24 has so much significance and represents Kobe and Gianna's uniform numbers, 8, 2, and 24. The sculpture shows Kobe with his arm around Gianna and a set of angel wings hugging them together," she said.

"They're surrounded by hedges with round benches, purple and yellow flowers, and embedded butterflies made of purple and gold onyx around them. 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."

She continued explaining that Kobe was the first NBA player to wear the orange hoodie to a big game "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," she said.

After sharing more about how Kobe was a proud "Girl Dad" and how he wanted them to have "five more daughters," Vanessa talked a little about the challenges women face in sports and how Gigi has inspired so many to play "Gigi's way." Many have also shared with Vanessa how they feel "Kobe and Gianna sparked a revolution in women's sport and are a driving force behind all the attention the league is getting now."

"All of Kobe and Gigi's time, work, and dedication to better the game for women in sports wasn't in vain. Gigi was sweet and compassionate. She also had a competitive personality, she had grit and she was relentless when it came to being the best version of herself she could be," Vanessa said.

"She wanted to raise the ceiling when it came to the attention women's sports was getting at the time. When I watch the success that women in sports are receiving now, I'm so proud of my Gigi and Kobe and their commitment to their contribution as leaders in making a change for the betterment of all athletes."

Vanessa honored her late daughter on what would have been her 18th birthday with a special butterfly-themed sneaker release. The Kobe 8 Protro "Mambacita" pays homage to Gigi and celebrates her impact on basketball and athletes with the joy she brought. The special edition sneaker became available on May 1, 2024, on Nike's SNKRS app.

Vanessa shared the new sneakers on her Instagram page with a few posts.

"Gigi changed the game. Forever. On 5.1 we celebrate Gianna “Gigi” Bryant’s 18th birthday and the transformational impact she had on highlighting women’s sports with the release of the Kobe 8 Protro ‘Mambacita,'" she wrote in the caption of a video featuring the shoe.

Her caption also explained that proceeds of the shoes will benefit the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, a nonprofit started by Vanessa dedicated to supporting underserved child athletes.

Kobe's Staples Center locker was sold for a massive price on Friday, the same day the new statue was unveiled.

The late basketball star's locker sold for $2.9 million at Sotheby's, and reportedly had four bidders that went into a 20-minute bidding battle. The bid went from $750,000 to the final price at the end of the auction.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale will directly benefit The Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation, the NBA team's official charity.