A bronze sculpture by artist Dan Medina, depicting Kobe Bryant, daughter Gianna Bryant, and the names of those who died, is displayed as a one-day temporary memorial at the site of a 2020 helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on January 26, 2022. Lakers star Kobe Bryant died with his daughter Gianna in a tragic helicopter crash which killed nine people on January 27, 2020. (AFP/Patrick T. Fallon)
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sculpture of NBA great Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant was brought on Wednesday to the helicopter crash site where they perished alongside seven others on a hillside near Los Angeles two years ago.
The 160-pound (73-kg) bronze statue depicts the pair wearing basketball uniforms and sharing a loving glance as Gigi holds Kobe's hand as it rests on her shoulder.
Sculptor Dan Medina was on hand to greet fans who made the 1.3-mile (2.1-km) hike to pay their respects to the sports legend.
"This is all on my own, no one asked me to do it," said Medina.
"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.
"Today was special because I witnessed a lot of that. People would come up and they would leave with some sort of satisfaction."
Engraved on the statue's steel pedestal are the names of all nine victims of the early morning crash in foggy weather on Jan. 26, 2020. It also includes an inscription of Bryant's famous quote: "Heroes come and go, but legends are forever."
