shifts lakers legend Kobe Bryant And his daughter Gianna was memorialized with a bronze statue at the crash site on the two-year anniversary of the helicopter crash that killed nine people.
statue of nba The Hall of Famer and proud father of four children, accompanied by 13-year-old Gianna, was held at the tragic accident site in a mountainous area of Calabasas in Los Angeles.
The sculptor, Dan Medina, inscribed, ‘Heroes come and go but legends last forever,’ and honored the other seven victims on a plaque with their names at the base of the statue.
A bronze statue of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna was temporarily installed at the site of the Calabasas helicopter crash that killed him and seven others.
Sculptor Dan Medina created the 160-pound statue and put it on temporary display on Wednesday
Bryant (right) and Gianna were among the nine killed when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed on Calabasas Hill. They sat on top of the court at a Lakers game in November 2019
The piece depicts Kobe gazing up at Gianna, who was just 13 at the time of his passing, with her left hand on her shoulder.
He is shown carrying a basketball while looking at his father, who in real life stood at 6ft6in.
Both father and daughter are wearing their respective basketball uniforms: Kobe in his Lakers number 24 uniform, which was his second team number after wearing number 8 in the earlier part of his career.
Medina placed the sculpture at the crash site this morning, where it will only remain for the rest of the day. However, he plans to continue to show it on every anniversary of the tragedy – and on Bryant’s birthday – as Medina pointed out. TMZ Sports,
Dozens of people paid tribute to the basketball legend and victims of the tragedy by placing flowers and memorabilia in front of the statue. Medina told TMZ Sports that he is working on a life-size version of the same statue that is 90% complete and will be 6 feet and seven inches.
‘I think we need something like this to be established permanently. It’s not done yet and it’s probably a catalyst for that,’ he said. ‘But I am willing to donate whatever is here at no cost. That’s the hope, to find a way to set it up permanently.’
He said he recently visited the site to see an empty space with ‘some rocks and dried flowers’ and ‘I thought they deserved more. Not just Kobe and Gigi, but all those who lost their lives that day.’
Medina stated that Bryant was much more than just a basketball player, explaining that he admires Bryant as “wit”, a musician, and a father figure.
‘Every book he read, he made it a point to contact the author. He spoke many languages, he learned to play the piano himself,’ said Medina.
Medina says his goal is to permanently erect a statue in honor of the famous basketball player and eight other victims of the tragedy
Medina says his goal is to permanently erect a statue in honor of the famous basketball player and eight other victims of the tragedy
The statue also pays tribute to the other seven victims on a plaque with their names
Kobe, who was 41 at the time of his death, and Gianna were flying from Orange County to a youth basketball tournament at their Mamba Sports Academy in Ventura County when the pilot encountered heavy fog and died January 26, 2020 was thrown on a hill.
Victims include 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 on their daughter’s basketball team, Sarah Chester, and their daughter Peyton, who She was also a member of GIANA. team, and pilot Ara Zobayan.
Bryant’s death anniversary was marked on social media and by his loved ones and fans. Lamar Odom, who played with Kobe from 2004–2011, paid tribute to Bryant from his manager Tonita Bee.
TMZ reported that she gave Odom a diamond chain and pendant showing Bryant kissing Gianna on the head, a recreation of a photo of the two sitting courtside at a Lakers game in 2019.
According to the news outlet, the chain was designed by Scooby Da Jeweler and costs $17,000 and is made from a 25-carat VS diamond. The back of the pendant includes a quote from Bryant: “Rest at the end, not in the middle.”
Odom said of the gift, “I lack words to understand that Kobe means the world to me and to continue this as a constant reminder to me.”
‘Rest in Peace’: Medina also shared photos of her bronze statue, which is said to be 160 pounds, on Instagram, along with the names of all nine people killed on the helicopter on January 26, 2020.
It’s been two years… January 26th, 2020,” Medina wrote on Wednesday alongside the first photo of her statue posted on her Instagram page.
He shared more pictures and the names of all the nine people who died on that tragic day.
The artist ended by writing ‘Rest in Peace…’ with the hashtag: ‘#kobeandgigimonument #bronzemonument #kobebryant #escultura #lakers #medina_sculpture #artisanbronzefoundry’
National Transportation Safety Board released report good Blamed the crash last February on cloudy weather and a series of poor decisions by the pilot, including flying indiscriminately into a wall of clouds, which resulted in him thinking he was climbing when the craft was actually falling.
Mauser’s husband, Matthew, said, “This year has been a little easier. Every year has gotten a little less intense… You have good moments and you have some tough patches.” abc 7 on Wednesday.
The accident also resulted in an ongoing trial by Bryant’s widow Vanessa, whose trial was due to begin on February 22.
Vanessa claimed in court filings that graphic photos showing the bodies of Bryant and Gianna, hours after they were killed, were taken by at least 28 police officers and at least a dozen firefighters at a bar and a media awards ceremony. were passed in
The claims were made last Thursday in court documents filed by Vanessa Bryant’s attorneys, where she is seeking damages from Los Angeles County for an invasion of privacy over sharing of graphic photos.
The photos were taken by police officers and firefighters at the site of the fatal helicopter crash in Calabasas.
Vanessa’s attorney, Louis Lee, wrote that pre-trial evidence, “shows that close-up photos of Gianna and Kobe’s remains were passed on by at least 28 Sheriff’s Department equipment and by at least a dozen firefighters, and at the bar.” and was shown at an award. Festival’.
Lee also alleged that Los Angeles County officials “engaged in destroying direct forensic evidence of his misconduct and covering up the need for extensive circumstantial evidence to establish the full extent of that misconduct.”
Los Angeles County has previously defended itself by saying the photos were not posted online or seen by the public at a bar two days after the accident. In that incident, a bartender told a patron that an officer had just shown him the photos. That custodian complained to the LA County Sheriff’s Office.
The accident also resulted in an ongoing trial by Bryant’s widow Vanessa, whose trial was due to begin on February 22. Vanessa alleged that photographs of the bodies of Bryant and Gianna were shown to multiple people by Los Angeles County officials without her knowledge.
In new documents filed, Vanessa’s attorney says a private citizen attending the 2020 Golden Mike Awards — a broadcast television awards night held less than a month after the accident — was held by the LA County Fire Department’s public information officer. Tony Imbrenda talking about the photos and showing them to others. It is not clear to whom he showed the pictures.
Officers later said that the photographs were removed, and the witness did not see the photographs for himself.
New documents also show that photographs were shown at least twice in the days following the accident. A bartender in Norwalk, California, said a Los Angeles police officer showed him pictures at the bar.
A bartender in Bellflower, California, said he spoke to a patron, who relayed the graphic details after seeing photos of the victims, the remains of a friend in law enforcement, who were providing security at the crash site and collecting coyotes from the bodies. were stationed to keep them away.
Los Angeles County has said it has a witness who will testify at next month’s trial that it is a well-known practice with law enforcement in Southern California to share photos of human remains.
The county tried to bail out Bryant’s lawsuit, but earlier this month, U.S. District Judge John F. Walter rejected the offer and determined that ‘there are genuine issues of material fact to test.’
According to court documents, the case is expected to last about 15 days and will involve 40 witnesses for Bryant.
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