Lakers plan correction to Kobe Bryant’s statue

Joy FrancisMarch 12, 2024

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The errors on the Kobe Bryant statue were brought to light by German journalist André Voigt, who shared his discoveries on X on Sunday. Among the mistakes highlighted were the misspelling of Toronto guard José Calderón's name as "Jose Calderson" and former Laker Von Wafer's name as "Vom Wafer," as reported by NBC Los Angeles. Additionally, the word "decision" was mistakenly cast in bronze as "decicion," according to the station. The pose of the statue was inspired by Bryant's iconic index-finger-in-the-air gesture, which he famously made in response to his historic 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006. This performance remains the second-highest individual scoring feat in NBA history, with Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962 holding the record.

The Los Angeles Lakers have acknowledged several errors on the base of the recently unveiled Kobe Bryant statue and are planning to rectify them.

Among the mistakes are misspellings of former NBA players Jose Calderon and Von Wafer’s names, as well as an error in the phrase “Coach’s Decision” on a rendering of the box score from Bryant’s 81-point game in January 2006. Additionally, there are minor formatting errors elsewhere on the busy base, which showcases many of Bryant’s achievements.

“We have been aware of this for a few weeks and are already working to get it corrected soon,” stated the Lakers in a released statement.

The marble base of the 19-foot bronze statue features the box score of Bryant’s historic game, where he scored the second-highest points in NBA history. Despite the errors, hundreds of fans gather daily around the statue, which stands alongside several others honoring Los Angeles sporting legends outside the arena.

Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow, revealed that the statue is the first of three renderings of Bryant planned to stand outside the downtown arena. The Lakers unveiled the initial statue on February 8th to honor Bryant, who tragically passed away in a helicopter crash in January 2020, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others.

Bryant spent his entire 20-year career with the Lakers, winning five championships and becoming the fourth-leading scorer in NBA history.