To mark the two-year anniversary of the death of Los Angeles Lakers basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, a sculptor took a bronze statue to the site where their helicopter crashed.

Dan Medina carried the 73g temporary statue depicting Kobe in a Lakers kit with his arm around Gianna who is wearing her basketball kit, to the spot in LA from sunrise to sunset yesterday in order to “create a bit of healing for fans.”

The father and daughter, along with seven other passengers died on January 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash on their way back from a youth basketball game.

The names of all nine victims were engraved on the base of the bronze statue and also included five-time MBA champion’s infamous quote “Heroes come and go, but legends are forever.”

Medina hopes a permanent memorial is created for all victims of the crash in a prominent spot in Los Angeles so their memories can live on.

“This is all on my own, no-one asked me to do it,” the sculptor explained.

“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.

“Today was special because I witnessed a lot of that, people would come up and they would leave with some sort of satisfaction.”

A mural for Gianna and Kobe Bryant was spotted in downtown Los Angeles / Picture Credit: Ringo Chiu/Zuma Press/PA Images
A mural for Gianna and Kobe Bryant was spotted in downtown Los Angeles / Picture Credit: Ringo Chiu/Zuma Press/PA Images

Meanwhile in downtown Los Angeles, a painted mural was spotted commemorating the pair.

Words by Lucy Roberts for Female First, who you can follow on Twitter, @Lucy_Roberts_72.

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