A statue of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna has been placed at the site of the helicopter crash that occurred exactly two years ago in Calabasas, California. The tragic event that occurred on January 26, 2020 claimed the lives of the basketball legend, his 13-year-old daughter and seven other people.
The four-foot-tall, 160-pound statue was created by artist Dan Medina and features Kobe, in his Lakers uniform, with Gianna to one side, hugging her. Gianna is also holding a basketball, exchanging a smile with her father.
Several people turned out during the day to pay tribute with flowers to the basketball legend and the other victims. The statue was hauled to the crash site in the Calabasas foothills in the morning and was removed at the end of the day.
Dan Medina poses next to his work, a bronze sculpture honoring former Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna Bryant, and the names of the deceased, at the scene of the helicopter crash in 2020 in Calabasas, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Ringo HW Chiu)
(Ringo H.W. Chiu / Associated Press)
According to NBC Los Angeles, the statue was placed in Calabasas from 4 am on Wednesday. According to the sculptor, he is committed to bringing the statue back on each anniversary of the crash or participating in the making of a permanent statue to commemorate the lives of Bryant and the other victims.
In addition to mentioning the Bryants, the statue makes reference to the other seven victims of the helicopter crash: John Altobelli, his wife Keri and their daughter Alyssa. It also mentions Cristina Mausser, Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton; in addition to the pilot Ara Zobayan.
A bronze sculpture honoring former Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna Bryant, and the names of those who died, is displayed at the site of a 2020 helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022 (AP Photo/Ringo HW Chiu)
(Ringo H.W. Chiu / Associated Press)
