A sculptor in Los Angeles has honored the anniversary of the deaths of Kobe and Gigi Bryant by placing a statue of the two at the site where they tragically passed away in 2020.
The artist, Dan Medina, tells TMZ Sports he created the 160-pound bronze figure and pulled it up to the scene in Calabasas via a wagon on Wednesday.
The sculpture is only a temporary piece — Medina says he’ll haul it back down at sunset — but the artist tells us he’s hoping the city will allow him to put up a larger, more life-sized version permanently at the site.
The artwork, while smaller than what Medina hopes it’ll ultimately end up being, is incredible — it’s a depiction of Kobe in a Lakers uniform with his arm around Gigi, who’s also in a basketball uniform holding a ball.
At the base of the statue, Medina added the names of all nine of the victims who tragically died in the helicopter crash on the Calabasas hillside on Jan. 26, 2020.
“Heroes come and go,” words on the base of the statue read, “but legends are forever.”
As we previously reported, Kobe, Gigi and the others were on their way to a girls basketball game, when the chopper suddenly wrecked in the terrain.
Tributes to the Bryants and the other victims of the crash have poured in on the anniversary Wednesday, with athletes and celebs from all over remembering them all on social media.
In fact, Kobe’s old Lakers teammate, Lamar Odom, was gifted a diamond pendant on Wednesday to honor and remember the Bryants.
#RIP