The 2023-2024 NBA season came to a close this Monday, April 29, for the Los Angeles Lakers. The inaugural in-season tournament champions met their match against the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
On Feb. 8, 2024, the Lakers unveiled a bronze representation of the late great Kobe Bryant, who tragically passed on Jan. 26, 2020.
The following day, the statue was displayed in its final resting place in the “Star Plaza.” Bryant’s statue joined an elite company of immortalized athletes, including Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West, Oscar De La Hoya and Wayne Gretzky. Fans of the Lakers’ all-time leading points scorer flocked to the arena to revisit fond memories and pay respects to a global icon.
Kobe Bryant’s legacy transcends his generational talent on the basketball court. Bryant’s fabled mentality and work ethic permeated culture borders. His post-basketball career endeavors were another testament to his non-stop attitude. The Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California, opened in 2018. It gave local athletes a state-of-the-art facility to learn, train and advance in their athletic pursuits.
One fan at the Lakers’ home arena on Feb. 9 delved into Bryant’s transcendent reach. Bill is from the Bay Area but has been a lifelong Lakers fan who felt a magnetic draw to the black mamba’s play style and infectious energy.
“The fight, the dedication, the love for the sport, the love of what you do, that’s what matters the most. Kobe Bryant was an inspiration for not only basketball fans, but for a lot of people who love sports,” Bill said. “What Kobe Bryant meant wasn’t just for the city of LA, [it was] everywhere in the world. He moved and inspired a lot of people from all over the place. I don’t even live around here, I live in the Bay Area and I’m here baby, I’ve been a Lakers fan since I was nine years old.”
Moorpark Raiders head basketball coach Keith Higgins has dedicated over 20 years to coaching basketball in Southern California. Higgins and his squad won the Raider’s first Western State Conference championship in eight years in the 2024 season.
Before taking on the role of Moorpark’s head coach, Higgins had a front-row seat to Bryant’s impact on the young men he mentored at Reseda High School and Compton College. The long-time coach talked about Bryant’s legacy’s impact on himself and his athletes.
“It was his mentality. We talk about that attitude he played with, the mamba mentality of always being your best. I think everybody could take away from that,” Higgins said. “He was always his best and he never settled for anything else and I think that’s Kobe’s legacy. Everything he did, he wanted to be the best at it. When things weren’t going his way he still fought, like us, he always fought back. We send clips in our group chat of when he’s talking about attitude and fighting, so he’s big with our team.”
Among the crowd at Crypto.com Arena that second Friday in February was Paul, a born and raised Los Angeles native. The die-hard Lakers fan spoke about what Bryant meant to him and the city he calls home.
“To me, it’s the spirit of fighting. If you ever watch an NBA season, it’s got a lot of ups and downs – If you’ve been a part of the city and the culture, you know it doesn’t come easy,” Paul said. “So to me, he embraced the spirit of, I don’t care how bad we’re doing, we’re going to fight to the very end and then we’ll see when it’s said and final where we’re at. To me that’s what he represented, just the fight, and I relate to that.”
As this Lakers season ends, the focus will soon shift into offseason training and preparation for the 2024-2025 NBA season. Kobe Bryant’s statue will serve as a memorial for the Naismith Hall of Famer and a reminder to players and fans alike that success is built on hard work and dedication. The bronze effigy that overlooks the Lakers’ home court will inspire the grit and determination it will take to bring championship title 18 home to Los Angeles.
