Statue Erected To Honor Kobe And Gianna Bryant At Site of Tragic Crash On Two-Year Anniversary
Yesterday (January 26) marked two years since the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. On the anniversary of their deaths, a statute has been erected at the location where they perished in Calabasas, Calif.
According to ESPN, the statue was created by sculptor Dan Medina but will only remain at the location temporarily. The 160-pound bronze statue shows Kobe with his arm around Gianna and they are both wearing Lakers uniforms.
The base of the statue also bears the names of the seven other people who died in the crash that killed Kobe and Gianna Bryant -- John and Keri Altobelli, their daughter Alyssa; Christina Mauser; Sarah Chester her daughter Payton; and pilot Ara Zobayan.
Medina told TODAY, “I’m not the biggest sports fan you’ll ever meet, but Kobe, for me, was bigger than basketball. He was an (intellectual), he spoke multiple languages, he was an avid reader. I met people who said that he was maybe the surrogate father or surrogate guardian to their children because of the way he spoke.”
The passengers of the helicopter died when the craft hit the side of a hill Jan. 26, 2020. The National Transportation Safety Board determined Zobayan became disoriented after flying into clouds and crashed while trying to climb to a higher altitude.
