One month following the unveiling of the Kobe Bryant statue by the Los Angeles Lakers in tribute to the late NBA icon, the newly erected landmark appears to have several glaring man-made errors.
On Monday, German basketball journalist André Voigt shared a series of viral photos revealing at least three typos in the box score engraved into the marble base of the statue.
Former Laker Von Wafer’s and former Toronto Raptors guard José Calderón’s names are misspelled as “Vom Wafer” and “Jose Calderon,” respectively. These players were both listed in the box score of Bryant’s historic 81-point game against Toronto in January 2006. Additionally, the word “decision” in “Coach’s Decision” is misspelled as “decision.”
“We have been aware of this for a few weeks and are already working to get it corrected soon,” stated a Lakers spokesperson in response to the oversight.
The Kobe Bryant statue, crafted by Omri Amrany and Julie Rotblatt-Amrany, was revealed on Feb. 8 outside Crypto.com Arena. Standing at 19 feet tall, the bronze sculpture immortalizes Bryant’s iconic pose during his monumental 81-point performance and is encircled by five NBA championship trophies.
Two additional statues have been commissioned to pay homage to Bryant: one depicting the Lakers legend adorned in No. 24 and another showcasing him alongside his late daughter, Gianna.