Errors on Kobe Bryant statue outside of Crypto.com Arena to be fixed

ByDAVE MCMENAMIN
March 11, 2024, 2:39 PM

LOS ANGELES -- The Kobe Bryant statue unveiled last month outside of Crypto.com Arena has already become a staple for fans to flock to before and after Lakers games. And it's already in need of a few adjustments.

There are several errors in the etched marble base of the statue, including Jose Calderon's and Von Wafer's names misspelled in the replica box score from Bryant's 81-point game between the Lakers and Toronto Raptors and a formatting mistake on another side of the base where Bryant's career accomplishments are listed.

"We have been aware of this for a few weeks and are already working to get it corrected soon," a Lakers spokesperson said in a statement on Monday.

A tweet from German basketball journalist André Voigt showing photos of the errors went viral on Monday morning.

Bryant's 19-foot bronze statue depicting him in his No. 8 jersey is the first of three statues that have been commissioned to honor the Lakers great, according to his widow, Vanessa Bryant.

The planned location and the unveiling date for the other two statues -- one of Bryant in his No. 24 uniform and the other with his daughter, Gianna, who also died in the 2020 helicopter crash -- are still to be determined, according to a Lakers spokesperson.