Kobe Bryant’s statue unveiling ceremony | NBA on ESPN

Kobe Bryant’s statue unveiling ceremony | NBA on ESPN

Thank you it’s my great honor to be speaking here today on behalf of the Laker organization and it’s an even greater honor to be speaking on behalf of Laker fans there are many things for which I am thankful to my father near the top of

The list is when he declared to Kobe I want you to be a Laker for Life trading for Kobe back in 1996 set this franchise in this city on a journey that was beyond our wildest dreams we all know the numbers tell a story 20 years with one team

33,6 43 points 18 Allstar selections a league MVP award two NBA Finals MVPs and the one that mattered the most to Kobe himself five NBA championships every one of them achieved here in Lakers purple and gold those points those wins those points those wins those trophies they weren’t just statistics

They were moments that transport orted us and brought joy to Laker fans across the city and around the world I have spent almost my entire life around Sports and I can tell you I’ve never met or witnessed anyone like Kobe Bryant everyone who watched him play the game

Knows he did things on the court unlike anyone else he was a scrapper a fighter a winner and he was also an artist and he could B the world to his will I think that is what my father meant when he said seeing Kobe play was like watching a miracle

Unfold an NBA team once offered to trade us five players in exchange for Kobe but Dr bus declined explaining that Kobe was as rare as a Flawless five karat diamond and five one karat diamonds would never equal the same value I think of Kobe constantly and miss him

And Gigi more than I words can say but today I am filled with joy because in the future I know fans will gather here in the shade of this statue besides this building where Kobe gave us so many memories and we will share what he meant

To us and as we do so we will motivate a new generation to emulate the Mamba mentality and might I add I bet we will see photos of a marriage proposal that takes place right here inspired by the true love story of Kobe and Vanessa that is why I’m so grateful to

Be here today with his family to celebrate him and make sure that his legacy endures in 2009 13 years after telling Kobe he wanted him to be a Laker for life my father described Kobe as a Marvel he was he is and he will always

Be thank you um Vanessa thank you uh for allowing me to be here Natalya Bianca Capri um this is special your your dad as you know and your husband um one of the greatest human beings not just basketball players one of the greatest human beings to ever walk this

Earth and one of the greatest basketball players to ever touch a basketball so no matter what people ever try to tell you later about who the goat is and all that no mind okay um today we We Gather not only to um we still mourn the loss of obviously

U my beloved teammate but to celebrate the extraordinary life of a leader uh an inspiration and a true culture shifter on and off the basketball court uh in the realm of Sports Kobe was not merely a great player he he was a dedicated father like some of the stories when

People ask me my favorite Kobe stories I go to the father’s stories I go to to the girl dad stories uh he he was dedicated to that as as these girls know and and Vanessa knows he was a dedicated father Pillar of Strength for his family his commitment to fatherhood was

Unwavering um just as his dedication to the game was uh he intentionally balanced the demands of competition um and family life and I’m personally still in in awe of how on the rare days off that Phil Jackson used to give um Kobe still found the energy to

Go Disneyland with the family on those days off uh that that impressed me almost more than anything he did on the court um but he wasn’t just a champion he he was unmatched uh his prowers a rare specimen that left opposing players and all teammates inspired uh he didn’t

Just play the game he he defined it like that that’s really what it was like to be around him on a daily basis he set the standard he broke records the Legacy he leaves behind are foundations upon which current players and future players build their dreams uh his leadership

Went beyond scoring points uh I know people only think of him as scoring points but he passed I know um I was the beneficiary of many of those passes uh and it was about fostering a winning mentality so when we talk about the mama mentality that is not just about you and

For the guys and girls that wear the shoes and wear the jerseys and you talk about the mama mentality if you ain’t winning you ain’t winning and that’s what the mama mentality was also about as well to push everybody to be their best not just you uh he was

Often the heartbeat of our team a guiding force that propelled us to Greatness his impact extended well beyond victories it was about shaping character instilling a sense of Pride and confidence in all of us that wore the purple and gold in the realm of basketball again he wasn’t just a player

He was a legend like an actual living legend Legend that’s what it felt like to be around him his name now etched in the anals of sport forever a beacon that continues to guide aspiring players The Echoes of his accomplishments will reverberate in the aspirations of those who wear his sneakers

Today as we continue to remember our fallen basketball Angels Kobe Gian and the people we lost that tragic day four years ago let us not just dwell on the sadness of how that feels but let us today and forever move moving forward celebrate the greatness that their lives represented uh Kobe transcended

Basketball the boundaries of the Court he touched the lives of all of us who had the privilege to know [Applause] him good afternoon everyone the first known statue was made 35,000 years ago which was around the time thank you the first known statue was made 35,000 years ago which was about the

Same time that I entered uh puberty and not much has changed since then people still have a deep need to pay homage to those Among Us who represent the best versions of humanity this statue may look like Kobe but really it’s what Excellence looks like what discipline looks like

What commitment looks like what love of family looks like the fact that all those qualities came in the form of an exceptionally handsome man is just a bonus coach woodney used to frequently used to frequently quote Benjamin Franklin’s line by failing to prepare you are preparing to

Fail when I was on the Lakers coaching staff I had the opportunity to watch Kobe practice I had never seen a player prepare with such focus and determination it it is the one thing to want to excel but it’s another to drive yourself to acquire the necessary tools

To excel Kobe’s Rel Rel lless determination made his teammates push themselves too he made everyone around him play better Kobe once said something that has stuck with me ever since he said I see the beauty in getting up in the morning and being in pain because I know all the

Hard work that it took to get to this point he was referring to the physical pain that all professional athletes learn to live with in pursuit of Excellence but a statement is even more profound than that because we all arise from from bed each morning each day with some pain

The pain of lost loved ones the pain of Lost Dreams the pain of Aging out of relevance yet we endure that pain because it’s the worthwhile cost of the daily Joys and delights we experience in loving and dreaming and growing older among family and friends I like to think of athletes as

Artists like the painter a poet the athlete offers a temporary distraction from the struggles of life as well as the Keen insights that struggles that help lessen the weight we all carry we battered our hands in an amazement as we watch Kobe defy the laws of gravity and movement as he leapt d

Dodged and petted from one end of the court to the other he was a defender’s worst nightmare and that was entertainment we learned from him that the limits of what is physically possible can be expanded given enough effort and enough heart that was Insight that was Kobe a statue is a wonderful

Contradiction it captures a person Frozen in Time while at the same time acknowledges that the reason there is a statue in the first place is because that person is timeless we’re all here today to honor a man who represents not just extraordinary Sports achievement but also Timeless values

That Inspire us all to try harder to be not just better but our best thank you Kobe I had an initial talk when I came to the Laker organization and Jerry West had provided a room for Kobe to meet with me it was Private prior to the ceremony

And he talked about the fact of how many hours he had watched former team that I coach play basketball and he was ready to step into that and he was ready to win championships he was 22 now I have twin boys that are exactly

A year younger than he is 21 and being a father that has semi delinquent children I knew that this guy was much more serious than the children I was Raising he was very serious about this game we struggled Toby and I struggled a lot the first year it

Was I will tell you like looking at Michael Jordan and come fly with me or whatever that video was he had everything all the markings the way he posed the way he held himself it was almost amazing and there were times I would pull him to the sideline and say

Don’t try to take over this game it’s not time don’t try to take over this game but he was dying to do so and he was ready to do so I arranged a meeting between Michael and Kobe to give him a little impression of how to handle being in a restricted

Basketball system that relied on passing the ball to available teammates and wanting to go one-on-one with this guy in front of you so I arranged we had a little meeting in the cigar room and off the uh off the bar downstairs and Michael and I were sitting there and Kobe walked in

After a shower in the press and what not he sat down he said Michael I can take you oneon-one and Michael said well I think you might I’m 37 you’re 22 right but that was part of his growing up years and his teammates would come to

Me and say you know Kobe never goes out with us he’s always in his room he’s watching tape he’s doing this and that but he’s not really associating with us and so I pulled him aside and I said uh you want to be captain of the team

Someday don’t you and he said oh I should be captain now I said c you don’t associate with your teammates you’re separate and apart well all they think about are girls and hubcaps and cars and whatever I’m watching the game it’s a a serious business for me and that was how he

Was we wondered was this going to happen were there times so many times when I had to kind of pull them over to the sideline and say not yet it’s not time yet go inside feed Shack the ball he’ll get it to the open man when we went into the playoffs the

Answers were proven you all remember various items that happened one the law passed to Shaq in the seventh game of the Portland series that year the Indiana series when he tore up an ankle in the second game when Rose put his foot underneath him and he landed awkwardly and sprained his

Ankle the fourth game in Indiana he came off during an overtime and won the game for the team and Shaq picked it him up and carried him off the court and said my little brother won the game for us today thank you it goes without saying that today is an

Especially sad day for us since Kobe and G aren’t here for what is supposed to be an incredibly joyous moment in Kobe’s Legacy I want to thank you all for being here and showing your love and support for Kobe and our family I’m thankful for all of the fans

Including those watching and supporting from home Kobe has so many people that have supported him all over the world from the very beginning and this moment isn’t just for Kobe but it’s for all of you that have been rooting for him all of these

Years and to the fans here in La this is a special City Kobe was so proud to represent you welcomed him with open arms and have been so important to him our family and his legacy it brings me joy to see how much love you have for all of us we love you

Back I’d also like to thank jeie and Linda for their hard work in helping me with the Statue and in making this day possible so much goes into this process and I’m really grateful for everyone that helped make this special day happened and for the record Kobe picked Pi the pose you’re

About to see so if anyone has any issues with it tough it is what it is because fans all over the world and the City of Angels loved Kobe so much he will have three statues in front of the Arena also known as the house that Kobe

Built one wearing the number eight one with our beautiful daughter Giana and one wearing the number 24 Julia Ron worked on this particular stat you and did a great job of capturing the moment Kobe wanted while adding the details I requested to make it all come together one detail you may notice on

The Statue is that all of our daughters names are tattooed on Kobe’s arm although some of our girls weren’t born at the time of that particular moment that specific detail is for Kobe a few additional elements that are requested to be added to the Statue are Kobe’s five championship trophies Kobe’s career

Accolades the sheath QR code to watch Kobe’s highlights pertaining to the statue on your phone and the triangle-shaped base as a nod to Tex winter and PJ’s triangle offense clearly it was at Trio’s favorite shape as a matter of fact Kobe and Tech spoke so much about scoring within the

Triangle offense that I often saw triangles in my sleep now you’ll get to think of them too thanks PJ Phil Kareem Derek and jeie you meant a whole lot to Kobe we appreciate you for being here and sharing your memories of my husband with us today as I see today’s current

Generation of star players following Kobe’s footsteps with huge scoring games I know he would take pride in knowing that he is still pouring inspiration into the game that was so special to him I don’t want to reveal too much about the Statue before you see it so

I’ll leave you with one of my husband’s amazing quotes leave the game better than you found it and when it comes time for you to leave leave a legend and that he Did Ladies and gentlemen on your feet to honor the Mamba Kobe Bryan the new [Applause] Statue We want to thank you all for your attendance today I know it’s a day you all always remember uh and always keep Kobe in your hearts go Lakers I want to all of You

Watch as the Los Angeles Lakers unveil the statue built for the late NBA legend, Kobe Bryant.
(Courtesy: Lakers/Spectrum Sportsnet)

0:00 Jeanie Buss
3:45 Derek Fisher
7:42 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
11:58 Phil Jackson
16:05 Vanessa Bryant
20:50 The reveal

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