Kobe Bryant statue unveiled outside Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles

A statue honoring Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was unveiled at the Star Plaza outside the Cryto.com Arena Thursday afternoon.

The Lakers said the statue "will serve as a permanent reminder of Kobe's great Lakers legacy, where fans from around the world can honor him and remember his incredible basketball journey." 

The bronze statue showing Bryant pointing up to the sky was unveiled prior to the Laker's game against the Denver Nuggets at 3:30 p.m. His widow Vanessa Bryant said it will be part of a trio of statues in an installation dubbed "The House that Kobe Built."

During the Thursday night game, Laker players will wear the team's Kobe-inspired "Black Mamba" jerseys, which were unveiled during the 2017-18 season.

Bryant, known as "Black Mamba" during his 20-year Hall of Fame NBA career, died Jan. 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash in Calabasas that also took the lives of his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.

Plans for statue were announced last year on "Mamba Day," which is celebrated every Aug. 24, in a nod to the two uniform numbers he wore during his career, which were 8 and 24.

"Since arriving in this city and joining the Lakers organization, Kobe felt at home here, playing in the City of Angels. On behalf of the Lakers, my daughters and me, I am so honored that right in the center of Los Angeles, in front of the place known as the house that Kobe built, we are going to unveil his statue so that his legacy can be celebrated forever," his widow, Vanessa Bryant, said in a social media video announcing the statue.

Both of Kobe Bryant's uniform numbers were retired by the Lakers in 2017, the year after he hung up his sneakers, making him the first NBA player to have two numbers retired by the same team. He wore No. 8 from 1996 to 2006, then switched to No. 24 for the rest of his career.

Bryant played his entire career with the Lakers and became the team's all-time leader in games (1,346), minutes played (48,637), field goals (11,719) and 3-point goals (1,827), among numerous team records. 

He also is the Lakers' all-time leader in points with 33,643. Abdul- Jabbar finished his 20-year career with a then-NBA-record 38,387 points, but only 24,176 were achieved in his 14 seasons with the Lakers. LeBron James surpassed Abdul-Jabbar's all-time mark last year. 

Other Laker greats commemorated with a statue outside the arena include Elgin Baylor, Shaquille O'Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Jerry West and announcer Chick Hearn.