NBA: Kobe Bryant's statue to unveil in Los Angeles; all you need to know

NBA: Late Kobe Bryant's wife, Vanessa Bryant, along with the Lakers made an announcement regarding the unveiling of his statue. Kobe Bryant's statue will be unveiled on February 8, 2024, prior to the Lakers game. To watch the unveiling ceremony you can chime in to Spectrum SportsNet or stream on Spectrum SportsNet+ at 6:00 p.m. ET or 3:00 p.m. PT.

The date of the unveiling has been set to February 8 for a couple of reasons. Kobe Bryant's jersey number was 8 when he played for the Los Angeles Lakers. Gigi Bryant, his late daughter, wore the number 2 on her jersey when playing basketball, which is represented by February being the second month of the year.  

Kobe Bryant is being remembered as the ceremony nears:

Shaquille O’Neal pays deep respect to Kobe Bryant ahead of statue unveiling: https://t.co/JJBTDLwBdh

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 8, 2024

Where will the statue be placed?

Kobe Bryant's statue will be situated outside the Crypto.com Area of Los Angeles. The area was earlier known as the Staples Centre. This location was chosen as Kobe Bryant played many matches in the area and took the franchise to new heights. The statue will serve to both honor the player and to provide spectators with the comfort of a symbol of his presence.    

Artist behind the statue

Artist Julie Rotblatt Amrany from the Fine Art Studio of Rotblatt Amrany is the sculptor of Kobe Bryant's statue. She along with her husband Omri Amrany have worked on several sculptures of athletes in the past. 

The bronze statue of A'ja Wilson inaugurated in 2021, was the work of Rotblatt Amrany in partnership with the University of South Carolina. The husband-wife duo have previously completed a statue of Michael Jordan which resides outside Chicago's United Center. 

Los Angeles Lakers players' involvement 

LeBron James along with many other players from the Lakers team have discussed many signature poses that the statue could embody. The details regarding this are currently not public information. 

Bryant had designed the black uniforms for the Lakers team, which they adored for the 2017-18 season. After the passing away of Kobe Bryant in 2020, the team brought the jerseys back. The Lakers team members will be wearing the same black jerseys in honor of Kobe Bryant during the unveiling ceremony.