Tuesday, marked the two-year anniversary of the tragic death of NBA star Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others in a helicopter crash in Southern California.
In a one-day memorial, Los Angeles-based artist Dan Medina placed a bronze statue of the father and daughter on a steep hill at the Calabasas hillside crash site.
The 150-pound sculpture illustrated Bryant in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform with his arm around Gianna’s shoulder. Gianna held a basketball tucked beneath her arm while gazing up at her father. She’s also depicted in basketball gear, symbolizing the love of the sport they shared.
According to CBS Los Angeles, the statue is engraved with the names of the seven others whose lives were also claimed on that day: John Altobelli, his wife, Keri; and their daughter, Alyssa; Christina Mauser; Sarah Chester and her daughter, Payton; and the pilot, Ara Zobayan.
“Heroes come and go but legends are forever,” read the statue’s inscription.
The West Hills sculptor shared with the Los Angeles Times that that the temporary statue is a smaller version of the life-size sculpture he’s currently creating. He hopes that the life-size version will find a permanent home in downtown L.A.
Image credit: (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
Medina reportedly hauled the
statue about 1,000 feet up above Las Virgenes Road, in a wagon cart on Wednesday. He had originally planned to remove the sculpture by sunset out of respect for locals and the Santa Monica Mountains. The statue welcomed visitors far and wide for a special viewing, and a chance to recall great memories at a formal yet temporary memorial.As per CBS Los Angeles, Kobe’s uniform numbers, both 8 and 24, as well as Gianna’s uniform number 2, were laid out in stones on the serene mountain. Flowers, jerseys, and hats were also adorned at the base of the sculpture.