The world came to a standstill for basketball players and fans alike when the basketball superstar Kobe Bryant passed away in a helicopter crash on Jan 26, 2020. Morning prayers poured in from all parts of the world to offer condolences to the family.
The Los Angeles Lakers had formerly decided to pay tribute to the Hall of Famer by unveiling his statue outside the arena where he played all his career. The date for unveiling the statue was decided to be 2/8/24 as Kobe wore jerseys 8 and 24 during the two different halves of his career with Lakers and his daughter Gianna wore No. 2 while playing youth basketball.
However, the announcement has also sparked a debate regarding the pose that should commemorate his achievements. Three of the famous poses are the legendary Kobe dunk, his acknowledgment of the crowd when he scored 81 points vs Toronto Raptors, and Game 7 of the 2020 NBA Finals when the Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics.
How should Kobe Bryant’s statue be designed?
Talking about the same, former teammate Robert Horry stated that the chief designer of the statue will be under a lot of pressure as the statue has to be perfect. He also took cognizance of the two jerseys numbered 8 and 24 that Kobe wore and how his statue – of young and hungry Kobe from his initial days and wise and mature Kobe towards the latter part of his career – will be like a “Two-Faced” Harvey Dent from Batman.
“But whoever designs this one has a lot of pressure (laughs). That thing has to be perfect. You’ll have young Kobe on one side and the older Kobe on the other side. 8/24. It’s fitting. Since he has two jerseys retired, it will almost have to be like Two-Face. You have to think about the young and hungry Kobe as well as the wise and mature Kobe,” stated Horry.
📸 January 26, 2001 – Mamba Forever pic.twitter.com/SFs4tqGd4q
— Kobe Highlights & Motivation (@kobehighlight) January 27, 2022
Speaking of the statue design, Horry noted that Kobe had almost 50 patented moves, and contrary to his fan-favorite arms outstretched pose, it should be the pose where the five-time NBA champion has his fists pumped up. According to Horry, it signified that either Kobe had done his job or was fired up to give his best.
Meanwhile, Bryant was an 18-time NBA All-Star and retired as the first player in history to play at least 20 seasons with the same franchise. Clinching Final MVP honors twice, he was voted the most valuable NBA Player in 2008.
Overall, the two-time Olympic champion averaged 25 points in the 1346 games he played with an unparalleled 5.2 rebounds per game and 4.7 assists per game. Fondly known as the Black Mamba for his mental toughness, Bryant had an inimitable high of 172.7 win shares.
