Kobe Bryant And Daughter Gianna Honored With “Girl Dad” Statue

A statue in homage to Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant has been revealed. Opened for public viewing over the weekend (Aug. 3) in downtown Los Angeles outside of the Crypto.com arena, the bronze sculpture recognizes his unwavering pride in being a “Girl Dad” and the Bryant family’s support for women and girls in sports, per the Los Angeles Lakers. The father-daughter duo was killed in January 2020 in a tragic helicopter crash.

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Originally designed by Karon Davis and created by the artists of Rotblatt Amrany Studio, the sculpture shows Kobe with his arm around Gianna, with angel wings behind them. The installation date of Aug. 2, 2024, reflects both numbers Kobe wore during his storied career with the Purple and Gold (8 and 24), and the number Gigi wore playing competitive youth basketball (2).

According to the press release, the foreground features a plaque etched with “Gianna Bryant, Inspirational Icon for Girls in Sports” and “Kobe Bryant, Proud Supporter of Women in Sports” with the Mamba and Mambacita logo in the center.

Underneath the names are words from the recognized “Most Valuable Girl Dad” stating, “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 statue is surrounded by hedges and rounded symmetrical benches reflecting an Italianate Garden, symbolic of Kobe’s childhood in Italy with engraved butterflies made of purple onyx and golden vein onyx bordering purple and gold flowers, symbolizing transformation and hope.

“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,” detailed Kobe’s widow Vanessa Bryant to an intimate group of friends and family.

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“He’s also wearing a WNBA hoodie he wore courtside to the game with Gigi. Kobe was the first NBA player to wear that orange hoodie to a big game and that was 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 continued, “Kobe was the ultimate Girl Dad and Gigi was the ultimate Daddy’s girl.”

The monument is the second of three planned statues to be housed outside of the arena in honor of the five-time NBA champion. In February, the first statue of Kobe Bryant was installed, standing 19 feet high, weighing 4,000 pounds, and sporting his No. 8 uniform.

Designed by Julie Rotblatt-Amrany, who also sculpted Michael Jordan’s statue in Chicago, the statue’s finger is pointed to the sky, as the NBA All-Star did the same after his 81-point game against the Raptors in 2006. The pose was chosen by the late NBA legend himself.

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