Statue of Kobe and Gigi Bryant placed at crash site on anniversary

A sculpture of NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant was on Wednesday, Jan, 26, placed at the helicopter crash site where they died alongside seven others two years ago. 

 The bronze statue depicts Kobe and Gigi wearing basketball uniforms and sharing a loving glance as Gigi holds her father's hand as it rests on her shoulder. 

 Sculptor Dan Medina was at the site to greet fans who made the 2.1km hike to pay their respects to the sports legend.

Medina said: "This is all on my own, no one asked me to do it." 

 "On this day, the second anniversary of the accident, I decided to bring it up from sunrise to sunset and create a bit of a healing process for fans," he said.

Engraved on the statue's steel pedestal are the names of all nine victims of the early morning crash which occurred on Jan 26, 2020. 

 It also includes an inscription of Bryant's famous quote: "Heroes come and go, but legends are forever."