Good thing that Kobe Bryant is getting three statues. The first one has typos
It's a good thing that Kobe Bryant is getting three statues built.
The first one immortalizing the Lakers legend was unveiled last month outside Crypto.com Arena and it has three glaring typos.
The 19-foot statue honoring Bryant's 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in 2006 — with him pointing a finger in the sky — has fans pointing toward the base of the statue. That's where the game's box score has the misspelled names of two players — Raptors guard Jose Calderon and Lakers guard Von Wafer — and the word "decision."
Read more: Plaschke: Kobe Bryant statue a perfect portrayal of Lakers legend's inclusiveness and defiance
The Lakers are planning to fix the mistakes on the statue sculpted by Julie Rotblatt Amrany.
“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.
Calderon's last name is misspelled as "Calderson," and Wafer's first name is "Vom." Wafer, whose actual name is Vakeaton Quamar Wafer, was a rookie for the Lakers during the 2005-06 season and the box score shows that he did not play due to a coach's "decicion."
Read more: Want to visit Kobe Bryant murals? Here are 24 in Los Angeles and 8 in Orange County
Calderon, who also was a rookie that season, went on to play for the Lakers in 2016-17, a year after Bryant retired following 20 seasons with Los Angeles.
Almost four years after leaving the NBA, Bryant died with eight others in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020, in Calabasas.
The Lakers announced last month that Bryant would get two more statues, one with him in a No. 24 jersey, which he wore in his last 10 seasons, and the other with daughter Gianna, who also was killed in the crash.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
