The Los Angeles Lakers have placed a statue of the legendary Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant, who tragically died in a helicopter crash in 2020, outside the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

The statue, the second one honoring Kobe Bryant at the Lakers' stadium, will be open to the public starting this Saturday, the team announced in a statement.

"We combined two iconic courtside moments of Kobe and Gigi. Gianna has a beautiful smile, and Kobe is giving her a kiss on the head while wearing the Philadelphia Eagles hat Gigi gave him for Christmas. He’s also wearing a WNBA hoodie. Kobe was the first to wear that orange hoodie at a major game to support Gigi’s dreams and women athletes," said Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow.

On February 8th, the Lakers unveiled the first statue of Kobe Bryant, depicting the legendary shooting guard wearing number 8 and raising his right hand to the sky. That statue was inspired by an iconic moment from the unforgettable 2006 game against the Toronto Raptors, where Kobe scored 81 points (the second-highest point total in NBA history).

Standing nearly six meters tall and weighing around 1,800 kilograms, the bronze statue was created by sculptor Julie Rotblatt-Amrany. A five-time NBA champion with the Lakers, Bryant died in January 2020 in a helicopter crash that also claimed the lives of eight others, including his daughter Gigi.

Bryant, the fourth all-time leading scorer in NBA history (33,643 points) and an eternal legend for the Lakers, was known for his fierce and tireless competitive spirit. He also achieved success off the court, winning an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film for "Dear Basketball" (2017).