Lakers working to correct mistakes on Kobe Bryant statue in downtown Los Angeles
Two players' names — Lakers guard Von Wafer and Toronto Raptors guard Jose Calderon — are misspelled in the Bryant statue's box score, along with the word "decision."
The Los Angeles Lakers said they are working to correct multiple misspellings on the first of three statues honoring late star player Kobe Bryant.
The errors, now engraved onto the memorial statue outside the Lakers’ Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles, are reported to have gone viral on Sunday after sports journalist André Voigt noticed them in images posted on X, People reports.
Two players’ names — Lakers guard Von Wafer and Toronto Raptors guard Jose Calderon — are misspelled in the statue’s box score, along with the word “decision.”
Calderon’s last name on it is spelled “Calderson,” and Wafer’s first name reads “Vom.”
“We have been aware of this for a few weeks and are already working to get it corrected soon,” a Lakers spokesperson said in a statement.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Wafer was a rookie for the Lakers during the 2005-06 season. A year after Bryant announced his retirement after 20 seasons with the L.A. squad, Calderon, also a rookie that season, joined the Lakers — in 2016-17.
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Illinois-based sculptors Omri Amrany and Julie Roblatt-Amrany created the 19-foot statue, which features Bryant pointing toward the sky in honor of his 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in 2006.
A statue is an honor bestowed on only six other Lakers legends. Bryant helped lead the team to five NBA championships, made 18 appearances in the annual NBA All-Star Game and received two nominations for Finals MVP.
Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, former teammate Derek Fisher, along with Lakers icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, former Lakers coach Phil Jackson and Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, attended the statue’s Feb. 8 unveiling ceremony.
At the event, Vanessa, who wed Bryant in 2001, thanked his fans for their support in an emotional speech.
“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,” she said, “but it’s for all of you that have been rooting for him all of these years.”
Bryant and eight other people, including his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas on Jan. 26, 2020, nearly four years after he retired from the NBA.
Last month, the Lakers announced he would get two more sculptures in front of Crypto.com Arena — one showing him wearing the No. 24 jersey he wore during his last 10 seasons and the other with Gianna.
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