| Statue of Kobe Bryant | |
|---|---|
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| Medium | Bronze sculpture |
| Subject | Kobe Bryant |
| Location | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| 34°2′37.3″N118°15′57.6″W / 34.043694°N 118.266000°W | |
The Kobe Bean Bryant Memorial Statue in Los Angeles, California, is a work of public art by the American artist Julie Rotblatt-Amrany. The 19-foot bronze sculpture of the American basketball player Kobe Bryant stands on a plinth in front of the Crypto.com Arena and was unveiled in 2024. [1] [2] [3] [4]
On February 8, 2024, The Los Angeles Lakers unveiled a 19-foot statue of deceased retired NBA player Kobe Bryant outside of the Crypto.com Arena. [5] The statue, sculpted by Julie Rotblatt-Amrany, [6] depicts Bryant's finger skyward pose after his famous career-high 81-point game on January 22, 2006, against the Toronto Raptors, with his name and scorer's report from that game etched into the statue. [7] The statue honoring Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant received some mixed reactions from fans shortly after the statue's unveiling. [8]
Around one month after the statue's unveiling, fans outside of Crypto.com Arena began to spot multiple spelling errors on the sculpture. [9] The errors included misspelling of Toronto Raptors guard José Calderón as "Jose Calderson", misspelling of Los Angeles Lakers guard Von Wafer as "Vom Wafer", and the word "decision" misspelled as "decicion" in the sentence, "Coach's decision". [10] Bryant's facsimile signature also read, "Kobe 24" despite him wearing his white No. 8 Lakers uniform on the statue.
Some fans were disappointed by the statue, saying that the statue's face looked more like former NBA and NBA G League player Andre Ingram, [8] and that the statue had a lack of detail. Others said that the statue was small, which they said was a "disrespect to Kobe." [11] Fans also pointed out minor formatting errors on the base of the statue which displays many of Bryant's accomplishments throughout his 20-season-long career.
The Los Angeles Lakers on March 11, 2024, announced their plans to correct and fix spelling errors and formatting errors on the statue, which were completed on April 9, 2024. [12] The sculpture is one of the three memorials planned to stand outside their downtown arena. [13]
Kobe Bean Bryant was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, Bryant won five NBA championships and was an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, a 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), and a two-time NBA Finals MVP. He also led the NBA in scoring twice and ranks fourth in league all-time regular season and postseason scoring. He was posthumously voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. Since 2022, it was held on the third Sunday of February, the same day that the Daytona 500 was held, and one week after the Super Bowl. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, a three-day event which goes from Friday to Sunday. The All-Star Game was first played at the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951.
Crypto.com Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street, and has since been considered a part of L.A. Live. Owned and operated by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), it is currently the home venue of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL)—which are both owned in part by AEG's founder Philip Anschutz, as well as the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA and the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks.
The 1999–2000 NBA season was the 54th season of the National Basketball Association. The season began on November 2, 1999, and ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA championship, beating the Indiana Pacers 4 games to 2 in the 2000 NBA Finals.
The 2000 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1999–2000 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers 4 games to 2. The series was played under a best-of-seven format, with the Lakers holding home court advantage. The series featured the number one seeds from both conferences. Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the series, his first of three consecutive honors, in arguably one of the best NBA Finals performances in history putting up 38.0 points, 16.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game.
The logos and uniforms of the Los Angeles Lakers have gone through many changes throughout the history of the team.
The 1999–2000 NBA season was the Pacers' 24th season in the National Basketball Association, and 33rd season as a franchise. It was also their first season playing at the Conseco Fieldhouse. During the off-season, the Pacers acquired top draft pick and high school star Jonathan Bender from the Toronto Raptors, and acquired rookie center Jeff Foster from the Golden State Warriors. The Pacers played around .500 with a 7–7 start to the season, but then won 15 of their next 17 games, and held a 32–16 record at the All-Star break. The team finished first place in the Central Division with a 56–26 record, highlighted by a franchise-best 25-game winning streak at home, which was worthy of the Eastern Conference first seed in the playoffs, guaranteed home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time in franchise history, and an all-time franchise best win–loss record.
Julie Rotblatt-Amrany is an American sculptor and painter, whose work explores the resurgence of the figure in modern art.
The statue of Michael Jordan, also known as The Spirit, is a bronze sculpture by Omri Amrany and Julie Rotblatt-Amrany that has been located inside the United Center in the Near West Side community area of Chicago since March 1, 2017. The sculpture was originally commissioned after Jordan's initial retirement following three consecutive NBA championships and unveiled prior to the Bulls taking residence in their new home stadium the following year. Depicting Basketball Hall of Fame member Michael Jordan and unveiled outside the United Center on November 1, 1994, the 12-foot (3.7 m) sculpture stands atop a 5-foot (1.52 m) black granite base. Although not critically well received, the statue has established its own legacy as a meeting place for fans at subsequent Bulls championships and as a rallying point for Chicago Blackhawks fans.
The Lakers–Clippers rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. The two Pacific Division teams both play their home games in the Greater Los Angeles area, thus inspiring their matchups to sometimes be called the "Battle of L.A." The Lakers originally relocated from Minneapolis in 1960, while the Clippers moved from San Diego in 1984 after previously moving to San Diego from Buffalo, New York while going away from the original Buffalo Braves name in 1978. While Los Angeles fans have historically favored the Lakers, the Clippers have sold out or filled capacity for every home game at Staples Center since Feb. 2011 and entered the 2016–17 season with the sixth-longest active sellout streak in the NBA, which continued up until the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lakers have won 12 of their 17 NBA championships since moving to Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the Clippers have made the playoffs only eleven times since 1984 and remain arguably the least successful professional sports franchise in North America, and had never advanced past the second round of the playoffs until 2021. Some contended that the term rivalry was inaccurate due to the Lakers historical success and the Clippers historical lack of success. In 2012–13, the Clippers won the first of six straight season series against the Lakers.
A statue of American basketball player Shaquille O'Neal by artists Omri Amrany and Julie Rotblatt-Amrany is installed outside Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The 9-foot-tall, 1,200 pound sculpture was installed in 2017.
A statue of basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by artists Julie Rotblatt-Amrany and Omri Amrany is installed outside Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena, in the U.S. state of California. The bronze sculpture was unveiled in 2012. It depicts Abdul-Jabbar shooting his patent skyhook shot. Abdul-Jabbar was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association from 1975 to 1989.
A statue of basketball player Magic Johnson by Omri Amrany and Gary Tillery is installed outside Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena, in the U.S. state of California. The sculpture was unveiled in 2004.
A bronze statue of Jerry West by Omri Amrany and Julie Rotblatt Amrany is installed outside Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena, in the U.S. state of California. The sculpture was unveiled in 2011.
A statue of sportscaster Bob Miller by artists Julie Rotblatt Amrany and Omri Amrany is installed outside Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena, in the U.S. state of California. He was the Los Angeles Kings' longtime broadcaster from 1973 to 2017. The sculpture was unveiled in 2018.
A statue of sportscaster Chick Hearn by Julie Rotblatt Amrany and Omri Amrany is installed outside Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena, in the U.S. state of California. The bronze and steel sculpture was unveiled in 2010. An empty chair is provided next to the statue to allow people to sit in for a picture taking.
A statue of American basketball player Elgin Baylor by artists Omri Amrany and Gary Tillery is installed outside Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena, in the U.S. state of California. The bronze sculpture was unveiled in 2018. Baylor played for the Los Angeles Lakers and was the longtime general manager of the Los Angeles Clippers.
A statue of ice hockey player Luc Robitaille by artists Julie Rotblatt Amrany, Omri Amrany, and Itamar Amrany is installed outside Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena, in the U.S. state of California. The bronze sculpture was unveiled in 2015.
The Los Angeles Kings Monument is a monument by artists Itamar Amrany, Julie Rotblatt Amrany, and Omri Amrany, installed outside Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena, in the U.S. state of California.
The 2023–24 Los Angeles Lakers season is the 77th season of the franchise, its 76th season in the National Basketball Association (NBA), its 64th season in Los Angeles, and its 25th season playing home games at Crypto.com Arena. This is the Lakers' second season with Darvin Ham as head coach, with Ham joining the team as the Lakers coach on June 3, 2022, before the end of the 2021–22 season.
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