What should the Kobe Bryant statue look like?

The date – 2/8/24 – is significant. "2" represents the number worn in basketball by Bryant's daughter, Gianna, who died with her father and seven others in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020. The numbers "8" and "24" were worn by Bryant during his 20-year career with the Lakers. 

With the release set, many wonder what the statue will look like. There is no shortage of iconic images the statue creator can draw from. 

One that could serve as inspiration could be Bryant holding his finger high in the air following his 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006. 

Another classic image of Bryant came in his final game as a Laker against the Utah Jazz on April 13, 2006. As he headed to the bench in the game's final moments, exhausted after scoring 60 points, he held his right hand up and waved to the home crowd. A few moments later, in a speech to fans following the game, he uttered the now-immortal words "Mamba Out," dropped the mic, and departed Staples Center.

Perhaps the most legendary image of Bryant came following the team's 83-79 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals. In the game's final seconds, Lakers forward Lamar Odom threw the ball across the court to Bryant. After celebrating with his teammates, Bryant climbed atop the official scorer's table and, arms outstretched, basked in the glory of an NBA title.

Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson also have statues in a plaza outside Five other Lakers players 

Regardless of what the Lakers organization decides to do with Kobe's statue, we can all agree that this a well-deserved honor for the Hall of Famer, who spent his entire career with the team. It's a sad thought knowing that he won't be there to see it, but his family can take comfort in knowing that he will be immortalized forever in front of the "house that Kobe built".