Plus, Vanessa Bryant shares a moving speech among family and friends.
The Los Angeles Lakers have officially unveiled their new statue celebrating the lives of Hall of Fame shooting guard Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant. Both Bryants passed away in a tragic Calabasas helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. Kobe was 41, while Gianna was just 13. The other nine souls aboard the helicopter also passed away.
"We merged two iconic courtside moments of Kobe and Gigi," Vanessa Bryant said. "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 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.
"We were faced with the harsh reality that no matter how great Gianna was or could be, no matter how great her daddy taught her how to play, or even if she played exactly like Kobe, she would not have had the same benefits and opportunities that her dad and young men currently have because she's a girl," Vanessa Bryant continued. "That's when the challenge to change the perception of women's sports started in our household.
The statue depicts Kobe and Gianna as they looked while seated courtside during the final Lakers game they watched in person together at the then-Staples Center on December 29, 2019. That night — as most home games were that season — the Lakers bested the Dallas Mavericks in a 108-95 blowout during their Kristaps Porzingis era. All-Star center Anthony Davis led all scorers with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor and 7-of-9 shooting from the foul line, along with nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.
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