Kobe Bryant and Daughter Gianna Honored With Moving "Girl Dad" Statue

Kobe Bryant and Gianna "Gigi" Bryant's father-daughter relationship has been immortalized at the home of the Los Angeles Lakers.

A bronze statue of the late NBA legend and the 13-year-old was recently installed outside Crypto.com Arena. The sculpture, the second of Kobe that was placed at the venue this year, "represents Kobe and Gianna's exceptional basketball legacy and the uplifting relationship Kobe shared with all four of his daughters," the NBA said in a statement Aug. 2.

“Kobe was the ultimate Girl Dad," Vanessa told a small group of friends and family at the unveiling, according to the basketball league, "and Gigi was the ultimate Daddy’s girl."

The two were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash on a hill in Calabasas, Calif. Kobe, 41, and Gianna are survived by Vanessa and the couple's daughters Natalia, now 21, Bianka, 7, and Capri, 5.

Karon Davis designed the statue, which was created by the artists of Rotblatt Amrany Studio. The sculpture depicts Kobe with his arm around Gianna and angel wings behind them, with purple and yellow flowers—the Lakers' team colors—planted around it.

The statue also pays tribute to the basketball star's childhood in Italy, showing him and his daughter surrounded by hedges and rounded symmetrical benches reflecting an Italianate Garden.

The installation includes a plaque bearing the words, "Gianna Bryant, Inspirational Icon for Girls in Sports" and "Kobe Bryant, Proud Supporter of Women in Sports." It also features a quote from Kobe, who is also dubbed the "Most Valuable Girl Dad."

"Gianna is a beast," it reads. "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 statue, Vanessa said, merges "two iconic courtside moments of Kobe and Gigi," including their appearance at the Lakers' game against the Dallas Mavericks in December 2019, less than a month before their deaths.

"Gianna has her gorgeous smile on her face and Kobe is kissing the top of her head while wearing the Philadelphia Eagles beanie that Gigi gifted him for Christmas," Vanessa said. "He’s also wearing a WNBA hoodie he wore courtside to the game with Gigi."

Vanessa continued, "Kobe was the first NBA player to wear that orange hoodie to a big game and that was to show his support for Gigi's dreams and for women across all sports. That was a moment he shared with Gigi that will always be a powerful representation of the movement towards equality that was always so important to our family."

Kobe's wife noted that Gianna, who played in a youth basketball league, would have started her first year of college this year.

"We would be watching her shine on the court," Vanessa said. "Now her spirit is shining a path she has created for young girls and for women in sports."

Look back at photos of Kobe with his family over the years...

The basketball star posed with his parents Joe Bryant and Pamela Bryant after winning the NBA Championship on June 19, 2000.

The duo were all smiles while posing for a portrait in November 2000.

Vanessa showed off her baby bump at the 2019 Baby2Baby Gala in Los Angeles.

"Happy Birthday B.B. I Can't believe you are 3 already!" Kobe wrote on Instagram back in December 2019. "We love you little mamacita."

"My Bianka Bella Bryant (BBB)," Kobe wrote on Instagram back in November 2019.

"Happy Thanksgiving! Thankful for my family!" Kobe wrote via Instagram back in November 2019.

The Bryants dressed up as characters from The Wizard of Oz back in October 2019.

"My Gigi," Kobe wrote on Instagram back in September 2019.

The father-daughter duo sat courtside at the the Lakers vs Mavericks game at the Staples Center in 2019.

"@vanessabryant surprised me by bringing our two little babies B.B and KoKo to my @granity book signing of #legacyandthequeen at @barnesandnoble," the caption of the September 2019 post read.

"Happy Mother's Day @vanessabryant we love you and thank you for all that you do for our family," Kobe wrote on Instagram back in May 2019, about a month before Capri's birth. "You are the foundation of all that we hold dear. I love you #mybaby #lioness #mamabear #queenmamba."

"Had a great trip to @uconnwbb for senior night and the retirement of basketball legend @promise50 with my baby Gigi," Kobe wrote on Instagram in March 2019. "Thank you Gampel, Thank you Coach Geno and Cd for the warm welcome. Good luck the rest of the way."

Kobe and Gianna Bryant shared a special moment at a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Atlanta Hawks.

Vanessa, Kobe, Natalia and Gianna attended the world premiere of A Wrinkle in Time in Los Angeles back in 2018.

"Surprise family trip to Cabo for my bday #bryantbunch #40 #queenmamba #mambacitas," the caption of the 2018 post read.

Kobe and his family members attended a women's basketball game in Los Angeles back in 2017.

Kobe was all smiles as he posed with his family members during his jersey retirement ceremony in 2017. Magic Johnson was also there.

Kobe attended the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports Awards with Vanessa, Gianna and Natalia in 2016.

Here, the family members were pictured at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Bryant celebrated his major win with his daughter Gianna by his side.

Warming up! The basketball icon got a sweet hug from his daughter ahead of his game at the NBA All-Star Game in 2016.

Kobe's wife and daughters attended his hand and footprint ceremony in Hollywood, California back in 2011.

Kobe, his wife and their daughters celebrated the Lakers' NBA championship at Disneyland in 2010.

The basketball star celebrated a Lakers victory with Vanessa and the kids at a parade in Los Angeles back in 2009.

During a 2017 interview with Extra, Kobe referred to his daughters as "Daddy's little princesses." Here, he was pictured with Vanessa and Natalia in 2007.

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