Artist Pays Homage To Kobe Bryant With Statue At Crash Site

CALABASAS, CA — At the crack of dawn, artist Dan Medina carried his original 160-pound statue of Kobe and Gianna Bryant to the site of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed the basketball legend and his 13-year-old daughter.

"Heroes come and go, but legends are forever," the statue reads. This famous Kobe Bryant quote is inscribed with the names of the nine people who died in the crash.

The statue is just one of many demonstrations around Los Angeles Wednesday commemorating the two-year anniversary of the crash that killed Kobe and Gianna "Gigi" Bryant, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester and Ara Zobayan.

Calabasas residents also commemorated the anniversary at nearby DeAnza Park with an impromptu memorial, the city said.

Medina carried the statue himself around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, he told TMZ. He planned to remain at the hillside site in Calabasas with the statue until sunset.

Medina was not commissioned to make the statue, he told Patch, but made the two-foot bronze piece of his own volition. He is also working on a life-size version of the same design.

Medina is hardly a sports fan but was always drawn to Kobe Bryant's influence on the city, he said. He knew he wanted to pay homage to the victims after an emotional visit to the site of the crash in 2020.

"For me it was very impactful, because Kobe is not just an athlete. He's more of a mentor, a role model and an intellect," Medina said. He added: "Kobe was bigger than basketball. He was bigger than life."

The reaction was mixed from people visiting the statue Wednesday, Medina said. Many were emotional: some were happy, and some said the experience was healing.

As a parent, Medina said his first experience visiting the site was particularly powerful. Medina planned to bring the statue to the crash site on every anniversary and on Kobe Bryant's birthday until it has a permanent spot, he told TMZ.

Medina hopes to find the smaller statue a more permanent spot near the crash site and the larger statue a spot in downtown Los Angeles, he said.