Sports

Lakers honor Kobe Bryant with statue outside arena

Published

3 months ago

February 9, 2024

Lakers honor Kobe Bryant with statue outside arena

The Los Angeles Lakers unveiled a statue to honor Kobe Bryant outside of Crypto.com Arena in a ceremony Thursday. The bronze statue is 19 feet high and 4,000 pounds.

Bryant is the seventh Lakers legend commemorated with a statue in Star Plaza, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, announcer Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Jerry West.

The unveiling date was important for the numerology of Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, both of whom were killed in a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., on Jan. 26, 2020. Thursday is Feb. 8, 2024 — 2/8/24 — a date that combines both of Bryant’s jersey numbers (No. 8 and No. 24) and Gianna’s number (No. 2) when she was playing on the Mamba Sports Academy team.

Until the unveiling, the pose for Bryant’s statue had been one of the best-kept secrets in the NBA. The pose captures Bryant’s career-high 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006, with his right arm in the air and pointer finger pointing to the fans. The sculpture is surrounded by five championship trophies, representing the five Lakers titles in Kobe’s career. The base of the statue is etched with KOBE BEAN BRYANT “Black Mamba” and includes the box score from the 2006 game. The side of the base reads a quote from Kobe saying, “Leave the game better than you found it. And when it comes time for you to leave, leave a legend.” According to Vanessa Bryant, Bryant’s widow, there will be three Kobe statues outside Crypto.com Arena: one wearing No. 8, one wearing No. 24 and one with Gianna.

Bryant retired in 2016 after 20 seasons with the Lakers. During his Hall of Fame career, he won five championships, two Finals MVPs, one MVP, two Olympic gold medals, made 18 All-Star teams and had 11 All-NBA first-team selections. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted Bryant on May 15, 2021. He is the first and only Laker to have two jersey numbers retired and hanging from the Crypto.com Arena rafters.

There are two more Kobe statues planned: one wearing No. 24 and one with Gianna. Location and date are TBD. https://t.co/oveNq89LnM
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) February 9, 2024

Laker guard Austin Reaves said the lights that shine on Bryant’s numbers on the walls inside the Lakers’ practice facility are a constant reminder of Bryant’s greatness and impact.

“I looked up to Kobe growing up,” Reaves said Monday. “The Lakers were my favorite team, and just being able to put on the same uniform that he put on, play in the same arena in L.A. is special. It’s something I’ve talked about a lot. Like I said, Kobe was my idol growing up. I wanted to do everything like him.”

Vanessa Bryant and the Lakers organization collaborated on the design. The sculpture was made by the Illinois-based couple Omri Amrany and Julie Rotblatt-Amrany, who have created all of the statues outside Crypto.com Arena.

The ceremony occurred under an oversized white tent due to weather conditions in Los Angeles. It was closed to the public but will open for general viewing on Friday at 10 a.m. PST.

The Lakers host the defending champion Denver Nuggets, who swept Los Angeles in the 2023 Western Conference finals, on Thursday evening in what is one of the busiest days of the NBA calendar. Thursday also marked the NBA trade deadline, in which the Lakers stood pat, prioritizing their pursuit of a third star via trade in the summer of 2024.

“He meant a lot to me,” Anthony Davis said Monday of Bryant. “Big brother, mentor, kinda started, I guess, my career alongside him in the Olympics, just being under his wing. Teaching me the game, teaching me about life and everything. It will be … a cool moment, obviously to see that, but reliving it again in a sense, so, I don’t know. Emotions will be high for me, for sure.”

Los Angeles is honoring Bryant, whose nickname was the “Black Mamba,” by wearing their black-and-gold snakeskin “Black Mamba” City Edition uniforms against the Nuggets. The Lakers first wore the uniforms during the 2017-18 season, and then again during their 2020 championship run in the Orlando Bubble. The most iconic moment with the jerseys happened against Denver when Anthony Davis hit a game-winning 3-pointer in Game 2 of the 2020 Western Conference finals.

“It’s only right,” LeBron James said Monday. “I mean, the guy spent two decades with the organization, won multiple championships, set a precedent of what it means to strive for excellence. … His accomplishments speak alone. Not only his inspiration, but how he inspires off the floor as well, in the community and across the landscape of basketball. So, I think it’s a beautiful moment, not only for him but for his family.”

Required reading

(Photo of Kobe Bryant: Harry How / Getty Images)

Click to comment

Sports

Shaun White admits itch to return to competitive snowboarding is 'always there'

Published

4 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Press Room

Shaun White admits itch to return to competitive snowboarding is 'always there'

Join Fox News for access to this content

Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – free of charge.

Please enter a valid email address.

Shaun White retired from competitive snowboarding following a fourth-place finish in the halfpipe event at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

White was only in his mid-30s when he decided to step away from the spot he dominated for so long. He won three gold medals at the Olympics dating back to 2006 in Italy, not to mention the 10 X Games gold medals he racked up during his illustrious career.

Shaun White of the United States in action in the Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe Final at Genting Snow Park during the Winter Olympic Games on Feb. 11, 2022 in Zhangjiakou, China. (Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

With the trend of great athletes possibly second-guessing retirement, White admitted in an interview with Fox News Digital that the itch to return to snowboarding is “always there.”

“It’s just kind of maintaining this sort of like, well, ‘you stopped for a reason.’ And I spoke to a lot of athletes and they were just like, ‘It never goes away,’” he said. “You’re like watching TV and (say) I could’ve made that catch. They’re just like that’s just embedded and ingrained in your for so many years of doing it. But there’s like this amazing life waiting for you outside of that.”

White said he picked the brains of some famous athletes about how they look at their careers when they are off the field or out of the pool.

Shaun White arrives for The Albies hosted by the Clooney Foundation at the New York Public Library in New York City on Sept. 28, 2023. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

EX-OLYMPICS STAR SHAUN WHITE RIDES WITH CVS FOR NEW SNACK AND BEVERAGE LINE: ‘THEY’VE REALLY UPPED THE GAME’

“Guys like Michael Strahan, Michael Phelps and I even ran into Tom Brady, which was actually great because he did the, ‘Hey I’m gonna come back’ and yeah it’s hard to let go of that feeling. And it was cool to talk to him about (it) like, ‘Man, we did it. We had our moment and we can celebrate that because the history books will show,’” White said.

He told Fox News Digital he is developing a solid career outside of competition but is still practicing tricks. While he may not be competing against other nations come 2026, he expects to be back in Italy to cheer on his friends.

Nina Dobrev and Shaun White at the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party held at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 10, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. (Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images)

“It’s definitely fun, and I’ve still been able to get back out on the mountain and work on tricks and have fun and ride. I have my own brand called White Space and we do boards and outerwear and all this stuff. I’m still involved in the sport through that. I was still testing products. We have now young riders that we sponsor. It’s been cool but yeah definitely, like, I’ll be there probably on the microphone or something for that Games. Definitely cheering my friends on.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Sports

Thursday's high school boys' volleyball playoff results and pairings

Published

5 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Press Room

Thursday's high school boys' volleyball playoff results and pairings

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONALS

Thursday’s Results
Semifinals

Division I
Loyola d. Corona del Mar, 25-22, 25-16, 25-18
Mira Costa d. Torrey Pines, 25-16, 25-18, 25-18

Division II
St. Margaret’s d. San Clemente, 25-19, 27-25, 21-25, 25-20
Redondo Union d. Carlsbad, 25-19, 25-20, 30-28

Division III
La Costa Canyon d. Sage Creek, 19-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-19
West Ranch d. Mission Vista, 23-25, 25-21, 32-30, 25-17

Division IV
Arroyo Grande d. Foothills Christian, 24-26, 25-21, 25-20, 22-25, 18-16
Grant d. High Tech San Diego, 25-22, 25-16, 21-25, 20-25, 19-17

Saturday’s Schedule
(All matches at 6 p.m. unless noted)

Finals

Division I
#2 Mira Costa (37-4) at #1 Loyola (31-1-1)

Division II
#5 St. Margaret’s (34-4) at #2 Redondo Union (31-8)

Division III
#4 La Costa Canyon (17-19) at #2 West Ranch (27-11)

Division IV
#2 Grant (33-8-2) at #1 Arroyo Grande (21-12)

Sports

EA Sports College Football 25 cover athletes, release date revealed after 11-year hiatus

Published

11 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Press Room

EA Sports College Football 25 cover athletes, release date revealed after 11-year hiatus

This July, there will be a lot of sports fans tapping back into their childhood.

Earlier this year, EA Sports announced that its College Football video game series will return this year after last being released in 2013.

On Thursday, the brand announced that the game will be available for play on July 19.

The EA Sports College Football 25 cover. (EA Sports)

This year’s video game features three athletes headlining the cover: Texas’ Quinn Ewers, Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Michigan’s Donovan Edwards, the latter of whom had two rushing touchdowns en route to winning the national championship.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe and Carson Beck of Georgia can also be seen, as can Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins.

The series began in 1993 with the release of Bill Walsh College Football, and the game was released under the legendary coach’s name for two years.

The name changed to College Football USA for the 1996 and 1997 seasons before changing to NCAA Football from 1998 to 2014.

The game was on hiatus for a while due to disputes among EA, the NCAA and college athletes. Each installment since the 1997 version featured a cover athlete as video games normally do. However, the cover athlete wasn’t permitted to be paid for his image and likeness.

A shot of the College Football 25 cover. (EA Sports)

DABO SWINNEY DISCUSSES WHY CLEMSON HAS BEEN ONLY SCHOOL THAT HASN’T LANDED TRANSFER VIA PORTAL

Plus, in each installment, game players were unable to see the names of the athletes when controlling them. Instead, Reggie Bush, for example, would be listed as “HB No. 5” and Tim Tebow as “QB No. 15.”

But now, with name, image and likeness running rampant, game players will know exactly who is on the field, rather than just a position and number.

EA Sports announced a return of the game three years ago and even said a game would be released last summer, but it did not happen.