Errors on base of Kobe Bryant’s statue outside the Lakers’ arena have been corrected
FILE - A statue in honor of former Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is displayed after being unveiled in a ceremony outside the NBA basketball team’s arena, Feb. 8, 2024, in Los Angeles. The Lakers say they’re planning to fix a handful of errors on the base of the statue of Kobe Bryant unveiled last month outside their arena. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Several errors on the marble base of the statue of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant outside the team’s downtown arena have been corrected.
The changes were made in time for the Lakers’ regular-season home finale against Golden State on Tuesday night. The 19-foot bronze statue, which was unveiled in early February, is already a popular photo spot and meeting point for Lakers fans.
But the names of former NBA players Jose Calderon and Von Wafer were misspelled on the base in a rendering of the box score from Bryant’s 81-point game in January 2006, along with a misspelling of the phrase “Coach’s Decision.” There were also minor formatting mistakes in another spot on the busy base of the statue, which displays many of Bryant’s accomplishments.
A spot featuring a facsimile of Bryant’s signature also has been changed to read “Kobe,” instead of “Kobe 24.” The bronze figure of Bryant is wearing the No. 8 jersey he wore in the first half of his career.
The statue is the first of three planned to honor Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, who died along with seven others in a helicopter crash in January 2020, according to Bryant’s widow, Vanessa.
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