FULL CEREMONY: Kobe Bryant Statue Unveiling | Los Angeles Lakers

FULL CEREMONY: Kobe Bryant Statue Unveiling | Los Angeles Lakers

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen 2824 what a historic occasion at this time will you please welcome the president of crypto.com Arena peacock theater and LA Live a warm welcome for Mr Lee zyman what a calming voice it’s always a great to hear Lawrence tanter make an announcement you know you’re at a

Historic Laker event good afternoon and on behalf of the Los Angeles and Lakers and AEG welcome to crypto.com Arena and LA Live I’d like to thank you all for joining us today as we unveil our 12th statue and seventh Laker Legend at Star Plaza and to honor and celebrate one of

The most incredible athletes of all time and one of the most important people in the history of this city Kobe Bryant as the first employee of what was then Staple Center now crypto.com Arena I know quite a bit about how this Arena was constructed and the more time I spent

Watching Kobe play here the more I understood why many refer to this as the house that Kobe built now part of my job involves watching a lot of sporting events I could tell you in my 40 plus year career and being involved in over 6,500 events I have never ever saw anybody

With Kobe’s ability light up a crowd take a game on his back and change its outcome with with his immense talent and sheer force of will there is absolutely no one more fitting to be recognized here at Star Plaza with a statue than Kobe Bryant and

It’s a great pleasure and honor to be part of what we’re doing here today now let’s take a look back at some of Kobe’s most iconic moments on the court I don’t think the Pacers really had any idea of the confidence or the ambition that was inside of me I’ve had sprain

Ankles in middle school and high school I’ve had ankles really really swollen I played through them so I’ve played through pain before it was just a matter of playing well at the highest level against top level players now you know that K’s going to take over the game K

Is going to try to attack here he is overson how good is this kid 8 seconds remaining the final game of the regular season the Lakers looking for their with it guard by now at that moment it just became about finding some Gap where I could Elevate and get a good

Look at The [Applause] Rim he made it this crowd is in complete shot the shot to win it that was vastly more complex second remaining in dou over the Blazers 104 102 Theo Ratt came out of no came out of nowhere and he was so close to blocking

I mean he was like a fingernail [Applause] away you now Kobe hit on his way anyway I just had a lot of motivation that game deep got it Dell was on the other side I said this is my time this is my chance to pay Dell back for notay you know playing me

All those minutes in my first year I don’t believe it 62 I take it back is [Applause] he that summer really I put a lot of time in the gym I put a lot of time on the track I could run all day and run at

A high speed all day long so it’s like there could be games where I do have 80 points I felt like I was having a special night when Lamar kept reminding me that I was having a special night and every time out he come to me and said you can’t get

50 players his Le well that’s 51 and next time he just listen to me goes you can’t get six go straight for the dribble L 61 points and then by the last time he says we’re going get 80 then and an 81 game to this crowd for

Number it’s game four between the Lakers and the Phoenix Suns tied up reach in Luke winning the jump ball was the most surprising thing that happened that entire game once I had control of the ball then the rest of that part was easy for me because it was just doing things that

I’ve done in the gym thousands of times finals Brant the the Lakers take a three to one lead as Kobe Bryant the buzer why wasn’t shooting the ball well at all at all you have to look at other areas of the game where you can have a

Material impact is there there is no other option we have we have to win it I don’t by any means necessary come hella high water we going to get this thing done Reb the you know I still have to be able to carry the threat of the shot and

Open things up for my other guys our test that’s a three bang the Lakers repeat backto back titles this is the sweetest this one’s by far the sweetest cuz it’s against them and because it’s the hardest one by far I could feel the electricity as I

Was pulling up to the arena at that point I was just thinking to myself okay you got to go out and perform you can’t stink it up tonight JP Fade Away k for three up it goes and down it goes are you kidding me he’s so tired he can barely pick his

Feet up you know my legs were tired but I said listen this is this is the shot pulls up two-pointer if I wasn’t sitting here I wouldn’t believe it it’s hard to believe that it happened this way really is like I’m still in shock about it it’s [Applause] unbelievable and Now ladies and

Gentlemen W there is one man in American history that has said Kobe Bryant’s name more than anybody on the microphone every preseason game every regular season game every playoff game Home and Away celebrating his 37th campaign as the longtime television voice of the Lakers a warm welcome to Stu Lance thank you Lawrence

Um as Lee said this is such an honor to even be associated with this day uh 2824 I did see a lot of what Kobe had to offer and it was special in many many ways I told the quick story about what sold me on Kobe as a

Rookie we were I think we’re on the road in Detroit or somewhere we had a couple of days off and had some days to practice and he wasn’t start he wasn’t a starter then so they had a scrimmage at the at the end of practice two games to

Seven he lost both games after he lost the second game he came over I was sitting on the side on the bleacher by myself and he came and sat not too far away away from me and I looked over at him and I saw a tear rolling down his cheek and I

Thought to myself wow if losing hurts that much we’ve got ourselves a winner and lo and behold we had ourselves a true true winner he was a talent beyond talents the things that he could do on the basketball court most of us could only dream

Of a sad day when we had to say goodbye so to get the story and this program started I want to introduce some of the people that are going to be giving you some wisdom and some stories about Mr Bryant as I call out their name they’ll enter the stage

First the lovely Vanessa Bryant next Phil Jackson next I think we have a statue of him as well Kareem Abdul Jabar a long time Laker and teammate of of Kobe Bryant’s Derek fiser last but not least all of our boss jeie bus jeie would like to start the program

Off by being the first at the mic thank you it’s my great honor to be speaking here today on behalf of the Laker organization and it’s an even greater honor to be speaking on behalf of Laker fans there are many things for which I am thankful to my father near the top of

The list is when he declared to Kobe I want you to be a Laker for life trading for Kobe back in 1996 set this franchise and this city on a journey that was beyond our wildest dreams we all know the numbers tell a story 20 years with one team

33,6 43 points 18 All-Star selections a league MVP award two NBA Finals MVPs and the one that mattered the most to Kobe himself five NBA championships every one of them achieved here in Lakers purple and gold those points those wins those points those wins those trophies they weren’t just statistics

They were moments that transported us and brought joy to Laker fans across the city and around the world I have spent almost my entire life around Sports and I can tell you I’ve never met or witnessed anyone like Kobe Bryant everyone who watched him play the game

Knows he did things on the court unlike anyone else he was a scrapper a fighter a winner and he was also an artist and he could bend the world to his will I think that is what my father meant when he said seeing Kobe play was like watching a miracle

Unfold an NBA team once offered to trade us five players in exchange for Kobe but Dr bus declined explaining that Kobe was as rare as a Flawless five karat diamond and five one karat diamonds would never equal the same value I think of Kobe constantly and

Miss him and Gigi more than I words can say but today I am filled with joy because in the future I know fans will gather here in the shade of this statue besides this building where Kobe gave us so many memories and we will share what

He meant to us and as we do so we will motivate a new generation to emulate the Mamba mentality and might I add I bet we will see photos of a marriage proposal that takes place right here inspired by the true love story of Kobe and

Vanessa that is why I’m so grateful to be here today with his family to celebrate him and make sure that his legacy endures and in 2009 13 years after telling Kobe he wanted him to be a Laker for life my father describe Kobe as a Marvel he was he is and he will

Always be thank you this gentleman has played alongside Kobe and was one of the rare players that really truly developed the respect that Kobe wanted from everybody Derek fiser thank you st um bear with me guys this is uh a celebratory day but one that is definitely personal um Vanessa

Thank you uh for allowing me to be here Natalya Bianca Capri um this is special your your dad as you know and your husband um one of the greatest human beings not just basketball players one of the greatest human beings to ever walk this Earth and one of the greatest basketball

Players to every touch a basketball so no matter what people ever try to tell you later about who the goat is and all that REM mind him okay um today we we gathered not only to um we still mourn the loss of obviously U my beloved teammate but to celebrate

The extraordinary life of a leader uh an inspiration and a true culture shifter on and off the basketball court uh in the realm of Sports Kobe was not merely a great player he he was a dedicated father like some of the stories when people ask me my favorite Kobe stories I

Go to the father’s stories I go to the girl dad stories uh he he was dedicated to that as as these girls know and and Vanessa knows he was a dedicated father Pillar of Strength for his family his commitment to fatherhood was unwavering um just as his dedication to

The game was uh he intentionally balanced the demands of competition um and family life and I’m personally still in in awe of how on the rare days off that Phil Jackson used to give um Kobe still found the energy to go to Disneyland with the family on

Those days off uh that that impressed me almost more than anything he did on the court um but he wasn’t just a champion he he was unmatched uh his prowers a rare specimen that left opposing players and all teammates inspired uh he didn’t just play the game he he defined it like

That that’s really what it was like to be around him on a daily basis he set the standard he broke records the Legacy he leaves behind are foundations upon which current players and future players build their dreams uh his leadership went beyond scoring points uh I know

People only think of him as scoring points but he passed I know um I was the beneficiary of many of those passes uh and it was about fostering a winning mentality so when we talk about the mama mentality that is not just about you you and for the guys and girlss that wear

The shoes and wear the jerseys and you talk about the mama mentality if you ain’t winning you ain’t winning and that’s what the mama mentality was also about as well to push everybody to be their best not just you uh he was often the heartbeat of our

Team a guiding force that propelled us to Greatness his impact extended well beyond victories it was about shape and character instilling a sense of Pride and confidence in all of us that wore the purple gold in the realm of basketball again he wasn’t just a player

He was a legend like an actual living legend that’s what it felt like to be around him his name now etched in the anals of sport forever a beacon that continues to guide aspiring players The Echoes of his accomplishments will reverberate in the aspirations of those who wear his sneakers

Today as we continue to remember our fallen basketball Angels Kobe Gian and the people we lost that tragic day four years ago let us not just dwell on the sadness of how that feels but let us today and forever moving forward celebrate the greatness that their lives represented uh Kobe transcended

Basketball the boundaries of the Court he touched the lives of all of us who had the privilege to know him so in his memory let us continue to strive for excellence lead with unwavering dedication and be the culture shifters that Define the legacy of of a true legend thank

You although this gentleman didn’t get the opportunity to play alongside Kobe he got an opportunity to watch him quite a bit the capap Kareem Abdul Jabar good afternoon everyone the first known statue was made 35,000 years ago which was around the time thank you the first known statue was made

35,000 years ago which was about the same time that I entered uh puberty and not much has changed since then people still have a deep need to pay homage to those Among Us who represent the best versions of humanity this statue may look like Kobe but really it’s what Excellence

Looks like what discipline looks like what commitment looks like what love of family looks like the fact that all those qualities came in the form of an exceptionally handsome man is just a bonus coach wood used to frequently used to frequently quote Benjamin Franklin’s line by failing to prepare you are preparing to

Fail when I was on the Lakers coaching staff I had the opportunity to watch Kobe practice I had never seen a player prepare with such focus and determination it it is the one thing to want to excel but it’s another to drive yourself to acquire the necessary tools to excel

Kobe’s Relentless determination made his teammates push themselves too he made everyone around him play better Kobe once said something that has stuck with me ever since he said I see the beauty in getting up in the morning and being in pain because I know all the hard work that it

Took to get to this point he was referring to the physical pain that all professional athletes learn to live with in pursuit of Excellence but his statement is even more profound than that because we all arise from from bed each morning each day with some pain the pain of lost loved

Ones the pain of Lost Dreams the pain of aging out of relevance yet we endure that pain because it’s the worthwhile CA of the daily Joys and delights we experience in loving and dreaming and in growing older among family and friends I like to think of athletes as

Artists like the painter or poet the athlete offers a temporary distraction from the struggles of life as well as the Keen insights that struggles that helped lessen the weight we all carry we battered our hands in an amazement as we watch Kobe defy the laws of gravity and movement as he leapt

Dodged and petted from one end of the court to the other he was a defender’s worst nightmare and that was entertainment we learned from him that the limits of what is physically possible can be expanded given in enough effort and enough heart that was Insight that was Kobe a statue is a wonderful

Contradiction it captures a person Frozen in time while at the same time acknowledges that the reason there is a statue in the first place is because that person is timeless we’re all here today to honor a man who represents not just extraordinary Sports achievement but also timeless values and

Inspire us all to try harder to be not just better but our best thank you Kobe not a lot of people can say that they had the opportunity to coach Kobe Bryant with this guy of obviously had that opportunity made the most of it and together they won some championships coach Phil [Applause]

Jackson Vanessa Laker management Buzz family and those players that have played championship games for the Laker uniform will you stand up in this audience you guys that have done that and we’re teammates some of you with Kobe Bryant thank you I had the initial talk when I came to the Laker

Organization and Jerry West had provided a room for Kobe to meet with me it was Private prior to the ceremony and he talked about the fact of how many hours he had watched former team that I coach play basketball and he was ready to step into that and he was ready to win

Championships he was 22 now I have twin boys that are exactly a year younger than he is 21 and being a father that has semi delinquent children I knew that this guy was much more serious than the children I was Raising he was very serious about this game

We struggled Toby and I struggled a lot the first year it was I will tell you like looking at Michael Jordan and come fly with me or whatever that video was he had everything all the markings the way he posed the way he held himself it was

Almost amazing and there were times I would pull him to the sideline and say don’t try to take over this game it’s not time don’t try to take over this game but he was dying to do so and he was ready to do so I arranged a meeting between Michael

And Kobe to give him a little impression of how to handle being in a restricted basketball system that relied on passing the ball to available teammates and wanting to go one-on-one with this guy in front of you so I arranged we had a little meeting in

The cigar room off the uh off the bar downstairs and Michael and I were sitting there and Kobe walked in after a shower and the press and whatnot he sat down he said Michael I can take you oneon-one and Michael said well I think you might I’m 37 you’re 22

Right but that was part of his growing up years and his teammates would come to me and say you know Kobe never goes out with us he’s always in his room he’s watching tape he’s doing this and that but he’s not really associating with us

And so I pull him aside and I said uh you want to be captain of the team someday don’t you and he said oh I should be captain now I said c you don’t associate with your teammates you’re separate and apart well all they think about are girls and

Hub caps and cars and whatever I’m watching the game it’s a serious business for me and that was how he was we wondered was this going to happen were there times so many times when I had to kind of pull him over to the sideline and say not yet it’s not time

Yet go inside feed Shack the ball he’ll get it to the open man when we went into the playoffs the answers were proven you all remember various items that happened one the law passed to sha in the seventh game of the Portland series that year the Indiana series when he tore up

An ankle in the second game when Rose put his foot underneath him and he landed awkwardly and sprained his ankle the fourth game in Indiana he came off during an overtime and won the game for the team and Shaq picked him up and carried him off the court and said my

Little brother won the game for us today and that’s the making of a dynasty that happened those three years and then there was a year of discontent sha didn’t get operation tell the season started and Kobe who is serious about maybe winning four in a

Row not three in a row wasn’t enough he wanted four in a row kind of held it against him I had to say you know basketball is basketball and you have to play the game with what you got and how you come to the understanding of what your team’s

Going to be in this particular year the fifth season we went to the finals fourth time in five years difficult year Gary Pete Carl Malone were on our team Carl was injured horis Grant was injured in the finals and we struggled and lost devastating loss most devastating thing

That you can do as a coach is survive after loss in the in the finals I don’t know if players feel the same way but I’d had it happen both as a player and as a coach so I know the intensity of it coming back from a sabatical that’s what I call

It to take the the Reigns of the Laker team over again Kobe and I worked out of pack this time let’s cooperate and collaborate and that we did we collaborated on how we’re going to get a center P Gasol to fill the gap we collaborated on the players that were

Playing at a higher level and needed to have a boost or needed to have some kind of a charge put in them over the years I given him books on leadership wining the Pooh in leadership that’s right and the Dow leadership and Kobe absor them and that

Initial feeling of how much better am I than my teammates would always kind of survive and surface and come to the edge I don’t know if you remember this but he scored 50 points inside of three quarters one time against Dallas I benched him the fourth quarter a lot of fans didn’t appreciate

That but we were up by 253 points and I said no that’s that’s enough we’re going to win this game and we’re going to save some motion for another game on another night but the 0 got 81 we needed all those points they were running a Zone

Against us and we divis a little offensive system that would exaggerate Kobe having a one-on-one opportunity with her power forward small forward or Jaylen Rose he ate that up there are two things that made me proud of Kobe and who he was in the year of our

Discontentment we had played a game on Tuesday night here in LA and flew up to Portland Marty gr I didn’t know as marra till I got to Portland the streets were still reving with drunken young people at 3:00 in the morning and we always had a kind of a statement

About the MBA bags at 2:30 or 3 about maybe 4 he might get in at 2:30 or 3: and maybe get to bed the next morning we were staying in the Benson hotel and I was sitting in the lobby reading a paper at 9:00 in the morning waiting for my staff to come

Down for our meeting before shoot around and I got a tap on the shoulder it was cold he bend the mass he had ashes on his forehead and I knew he was working on himself important the seventh game of the playoffs against Boston Celtics in 2010 Kobe was having a horrible game he

Ended up being 6 for 24 that night and we kept saying to Kobe stay inside the system don’t go out on your own keep it moving keep the ball moving hit the open man make the motion that we have to go through he finally got into

It we won the game Ronnie arest hit a three down the stretch which is Big Sasha capped it off with a couple of free throws that were down the stretch and we celebrated a highly intense rivalry Jay Leno had the team invited the team to go on a

Tonight Show and about seven or eight of them came on The Tonight Show and some of them were in the front some were sitting in the back on chairs and as Jay Lena was trying to make humor he said what’s who’s this guy that was always in the uniform or never in a

Uniform always dressed it’s sitting behind you right there and Kobe said don’t make fun of Adam Adam Morrison he’s one of our teammates he puts in the work he may not get to dress but he puts in the work and he’s part of our team and then I

Knew that’s when I was the proudest of [Applause] Kobe don’t know where to begin uh when it was Staple Center then and there used to be a saying about well I guess there still is a saying behind every great man there’s a great woman no beside every great man there’s a great

Woman I don’t Know I I don’t know if you remember this Vanessa but it was maybe the first year or second year that state was opened and we were in the family room and I just commented to you about you should give a seminar on on how to raise

Children I had never in my long life met more well-behaved children than the Bryant’s it was truly amazing that discipline uh to do things of that nature obviously was within the family Kobe was great at what he did Vanessa you’re great at what you do welcome Vanessa Bryant thank you

It goes without saying that today is an especially sad day for us since Kobe and G aren’t here for what is supposed to be an incredibly joyous moment in Kobe’s Legacy I want to thank you all for being here and showing your love and support for Kobe and our

Family I’m thankful for all of the fans including those watching and supporting from home Kobe has so many people that have supported him all over the world from the very beginning and this moment isn’t just for Kobe but it’s for all of you that have been rooting for him all of these

Years and to the fans here in La this is a special City Kobe was so proud to represent you welcomed him with open arms and have been so important to him our family and his legacy it brings me joy to see how much love you have for all of us we love you

Back I’d also like to thank jeie and Linda for their hard work in helping me with the Statue and in making this day possible so much goes into this process and I’m really grateful for everyone that helped make this special day happen and for the record Kobe picked the pose you’re about to

See so if anyone has any issues with it tough it is what it is because fans all over the world and the City of Angels loved Kobe so much he will have three statues shes in front of the Arena also known as the house that Kobe

Built one wearing the number eight one with our beautiful daughter Gian and one wearing the number 24 Julia Ron worked on this particular statue and did a great job of capturing the moment Kobe wanted while adding the details I requested to make it all come together one detail you may notice on

The Statue is that all of our daughters names are tattooed on Kobe’s arm although some of our girls weren’t born at the time of that particular moment that specific detail is for Kobe a few additional elements that are requested to be added to the Statue are Kobe’s five championship trophies Kobe’s career

Accolades the sheath QR code to watch Kobe’s highlights pertaining to the statue on your phone and the triangle-shaped base as a nod to Tex winter and PJ’s triangle offense clearly it was at Trio’s favorite shape as a matter of fact Kobe and Tech spoke so much about scoring within the

Triangle offense that I often saw triangles in my sleep now you’ll get to think of them too thanks PJ Phil Kareem Derek and Jeanie you meant a whole lot to Kobe we appreciate you for being here and sharing your memories of my husband with us today as I see today’s current

Generation of star players following Kobe’s footsteps with huge scoring games I know he would take pride in knowing that he is still pouring inspiration into the game that was so special to him I don’t want to reveal too much about the Statue before you see it so

I’ll leave you with one of my husband’s amazing quotes leave the game better than you found it and when it comes time for you to leave leave a legend and that he [Applause] did ladies and gentlemen on your feet to honor the Mamba Kobe Bryan the new Statue

We want to thank you all for your attendance today I know it’s a day you all always remember uh and always keep Kobe in your hearts go Lakers I want

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