Two years after a helicopter crash that shocked the world, a statue of Kobe Bryant with his daughter Gianna was brought to the crash site on a hillside near Los Angeles where they and seven others lost their lives.
The bronze sculpture weighs 160 pounds and shows Kobe and Gianna Bryant in basketball uniforms, him with his hand on her shoulder, giving each other a loving look.
The statue was sculpted by Dan Medina, who greeted fans Wednesday who made the 1.3-mile hike to pay respects to the Bryants and others who lost their lives in 2020.
The shocking nature of their deaths surprised everyone, and former teammates, friends, and fans shared their love for them online.
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On the statue's pedestal, the names of the nine who lost their lives in the crash are engraved, along with an inscription of Bryant's quote, "heroes come and go, but legends are forever."
In an interview with NBC News, Medina shared that he honored the father and daughter "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," Medina said to NBC News. "Today was special because I witnessed a lot of that. People would come up, and they would leave with some sort of satisfaction."
Bryant was a self-proclaimed "girl dad," fathering four girls with his wife, Vannessa Bryant. During his 20 seasons in the NBA, Bryant was a four-time champion with the Los Angeles Lakers.
On his Instagram, Medina shared photos of fans who came to honor the Bryants after making the hike. To see them visit his page here.
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