Kobe Bryant and Gianna Resting Near Crypto.com Arena Entrance Honoring Lakers Legend

At some point, it might be more convenient to consider renaming Crypto.com Arena.

Kobe's Crib, anyone?

Two of three statues saluting the late Lakers great Kobe Bryant have been unveiled outside the arena, the latest Friday a touching tribute to Bryant and his daughter, Gianna. They both died along with seven others in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020.

Now anyone headed into the arena after admiring the statues can use the Kobe Bryant Entrance, formerly the 11th Street Entrance.

Read more: Lakers unveil new statue honoring 'Girl Dad' Kobe Bryant's bond with daughter Gianna

A month after Kobe Bryant died, the NBA All-Star Game most valuable player award was named after him — Bryant's four All-State Game MVPs are tied with Bob Pettit for the most in NBA history. Although his wife, Vanessa, and three daughters, Natalia, Bianka and Capri, might appreciate the inscription on the new statue even more: "Most Valuable Girl Dad."

(Zoë Cranfill / Los Angeles Times)

The statue re-creates Kobe and Gianna — who was blossoming as a player at age 13 and nicknamed Mambacita — sitting courtside at a December 2019 Lakers game engaged in basketball talk. Kobe has his arm around Gianna and is kissing her head.

Above the Girl Dad inscription on a plaque is a quote from Kobe: “Gianna is a beast. She’s better than I was at her age. She’s got it. Girls are amazing. I would have five more girls if I could. I’m a girl dad.” The top of the plaque features the Mambacita logo and descriptions of dad and daughter: “Gianna Bryant, inspirational icon for girls in sports” and “Kobe Bryant, proud supporter of women in sports.”

Any fan needing even more Mamba mojo can step through the Kobe Bryant Entrance wearing special edition Kobe 4 Protro sneakers, featuring "Girl Dad" printed on the inner tongues.

Read more: Complete coverage: Kobe Bryant's statue unveiling

Or visit the large downtown Los Angeles mural of Kobe and Gianna wearing angel wings. The building's landlord attempted to remove it but fans wouldn’t let it happen. More than 90,000 signatures filled an online petition and the video company 2K Games reached a deal with the landlord to leave the mural up.

The agreement is set to expire by the end of October, but even if that mural comes down, several hundred other Kobe Bryant murals dot the Southland. In fact, The Times has compiled a list of the top 24 murals in L.A. County and eight in Orange County that honor Bryant.

But none are as majestic as the two statues at the arena. Not coincidentally, the one of Kobe and Gianna was unveiled on 8/2/24, which includes his jersey Nos. 8 and 24 and her jersey No. 2.

The first Kobe Bryant statue — a 19-foot, 4,000-pound bronze memorial — was made public on a similarly significant date in February (2/8/24) and depicts Bryant in his No. 8 jersey. He is pointing toward the sky in a re-creation of an image from his 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in 2006.

Read more: Column: Starting with his favorite cheesesteak haunt, Kobe Bryant's spirit is all over Philadelphia

The third statue is expected to show Bryant in his No. 24 jersey, which he wore the last 10 years of his 20-year Lakers career. That might exhaust the need for bronze memorials, leaving only the name of the arena — many fans still call it Staples Center — as a potential target.

King Kobe's Court?

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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