Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were memorialized with a bronze statue placed at the the crash site on the two-year anniversary of the helicopter collision that killed nine people.
Among the many tributes for the beloved basketball star that are being shared on the sad two-year anniversary: a statue of the NBA hall of famer, and proud father of four, with Gianna that was placed at the site of the tragic accident in a mountainous area of Calabasas in Los Angeles.
The sculptor, Dan Medina, inscribed, ‘Heroes come and go but legends are forever,’ and honored the other seven victims with their names on a plaque, at the base of the statue.
Tribute: A bronze statue of the Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna was temporarily erected at the site of the helicopter crash that claimed their lives, and seven others, in Calabasas
The work of art depicts Kobe looking adoringly down at Gianna, who was just 13-years-old at the time of her passing, with his left arm on her shoulder.
She’s depicted carrying a basketball while looking up to her father, who in real life stood at 6ft6in.
Both father and daughter are wearing their respective basketball uniforms: Kobe in his Lakers No. 24 uniform, which was his second team number after wearing No. 8 in the first part of his career.
Artistry: The sculptor, Dan Medina, inscribed, ‘Heroes come and go but legends are forever’
RIP: The statue also pays tribute to the other seven victims with their names on a plaque
According to he blogger that goes under – Some Like It Haute, the statue is 160-pounds and made out of bronze.
Medina revealed to Some Like It Haute and ABC 7 in Los Angeles that the sculpture is only a temporary piece, but that he hopes the city will give the greenlight for him to create and erect a larger, more life-sized version that can remain at the site permanently.
Kobe, who was 41 at the time, and Gianna were flying from Orange County to a youth basketball tournament at his Mamba Sports Academy in Ventura County when the pilot encountered thick fog and slammed into a hillside on January 26, 2020.
The victims included Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife, Keri Altobelli, and their daughter Alyssa, who was Gianna’s teammate, Christina Mauser, who helped Kobe coach his daughter basketball team, Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton, who was also a member of Gianna’s team, and pilot Ara Zobayan.
‘Rest in peace’: Medina also shared photos of his bronze statue, which is said to be 160 lbs on Instagram , along with the names of all nine people killed on the helicopter January 26, 2020
The site of the crash is in a mountainous area of Calabasas, which is in Los Angeles
Both Kobe and Gianna are depicted in their basketball uniforms
It’s been two years… January 26, 2020,’ Medina wrote along the first photo of his statue he posted on his Instagram page on Wednesday.
He proceeded to share more photos and the names of all nine people who died that tragic day.
The artist ended by writing, ‘Rest In Peace…’ along with the hashtags: ‘#kobeandgigimonument #bronzemonument #kobebryant #escultura #lakers #medina_sculpture #artisanbronzefoundry’
The National Transportation Safety Board released a report in February that blamed the crash on cloudy weather and a series of poor decisions by the pilot, which included flying blindly into a wall of clouds that resulted in him thinking he was climbing when the craft was actually plunging.
Temporary: Medina revealed that the sculpture is only a temporary piece, but that he hopes the city will give the greenlight for him to create and erect a larger, more life-sized version that can remain at the site permanently
Tragedy: The National Transportation Safety Board released a report in February that blamed the crash on cloudy weather and a series of poor decisions by the pilot
Source link