The legacy of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant grows again as the team plans to unveil a statute of “Black Mamba” on Feb. 8, outside of the Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers announced that at the game against the Denver Nuggets, the team, in honor of Bryant, will be wearing their Black Mamba uniforms, which were co-designed by Bryant.
The statute will be the
seventh one that commemorates a Lakers legend. The statute of Bryant joins one built for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Chick Hearn, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Jerry West.The unveiling of the Bryant statue will air live on Spectrum SportsNet with coverage starting at 3 p.m. PT on Feb. 8. People who want to attend the ceremony in person may be out of luck, as public access to Star Plaza will be restricted due to event staging and load out.
For the game being played later this evening, the Lakers will be wearing the uniforms that debuted during the 2017-2018 season. It represented the team’s first City Edition uniform. The uniforms were first worn on Jan. 26, 2018, and then again during the 2020 NBA Playoffs, leading to the
17th NBA Championship in franchise history. The uniform showcases a snakeskin-like black print and drop shadows on the jersey numbers. “LA 24” appears on the belt and the Nos. 8 and 24 (both worn by Bryant during his career) are under the flap of each leg of the shorts.Bryant, who was projected to be the heir to Micheal Jordan, was a five-time NBA champion, a two-time Finals MVP, and the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player. During his career, he made the All-Star team 18 times and was the youngest player to reach 30,000 points.
Bryant retired in 2016 and scored an NBA season-high 60 points in his final game.The 41-year-old basketball legend died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others on Jan. 26, 2020.