The 19-foot-tall, 4,000-pound statue of Kobe Bryant in downtown Los Angeles is just the latest example of sports teams paying tribute to the legendary player.
Crypto.com Arena alone has statues of six other former Lakers employees, including five players. Kobe now joins that impressive list.
Some athletes, such as Roberto Clemente and Jackie Robinson, have more than one statue commemorating them.
Here are some famous statues honoring athletes.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar/Magic JohnsonSince 2012, there has been a 16-foot-tall, 1,500-pound statue outside Crypto.com Arena showing Abdul-Jabbar attempting his signature skyhook as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2004, a statue of Abdul-Jabbar’s former Lakers teammate Magic Johnson was unveiled outside the arena. There is also a statue of Johnson on the campus of Michigan State University, who led the Spartans to the 1979 NCAA championship. There are also statues of Lakers legends Elgin Baylor, Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West, broadcaster Chick Hearn and now Kobe Bryant in front of the arena.
Larry BirdThere is a 15-foot-tall, 1,900-pound statue of Bird on the campus of Indiana State University. He led the Sycamores to the 1979 NCAA finals and then won three NBA MVP awards with the Boston Celtics. Bird’s Sycamores lost to Johnson’s Michigan Spartans in the 1979 national championship game, and they became one of the most memorable opponents in the NBA.
Jim BrownIn 2016, the Cleveland Browns erected a statue in Brown’s honor outside the stadium, more than half a century after he retired. Brown, who was 80 at the time, said it was “one of the greatest moments of my life.” The 11.5-foot-tall statue weighs more than 2,000 pounds. Brown also appears in a statue unveiled last year to commemorate the Ali Summit, a 1967 gathering in Cleveland that included Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell, Brown and Abdul-Jabbar America’s top black athletes come together.
Roberto ClementeClemente, the Hall of Fame outfielder who died in a plane crash while trying to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua in 1972, is dotted with statues. Clemente and fellow Pittsburgh Pirates stars Honus Wagner, Willie Stargell and Bill Mazeroski have statues outside PNC Park. The statue was originally located outside Three Rivers Stadium and was later moved to the Buccaneers’ current home. Several other statues honoring Clement are located in the Bronx, New York. Newark, New Jersey; and Puerto Rico.
Michael JordanThe bronze statue was commissioned by Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf and unveiled outside the United Center in November 1994, when Jordan won six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls. After winning three championships, he briefly retired from the NBA. The statue is 12 feet tall with a 5-foot granite base and weighs 2,000 pounds. Written on the base is the message: “Best ever. “Will be the best. ” The United Center also features statues of former Chicago Blackhawks stars Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita.
Karl Malone/John StocktonEach of these famous Utah Jazz teammates had statues erected on the south side of Delta Center shortly after retiring. Stockton received a statue in 2005 as the NBA’s career assists and steals leader. A year later, Malone’s statue went up again. Malone played college basketball at Louisiana Tech, which unveiled his own statue in 2023.
Joe Montana/Dwight ClarkOne of the most memorable NFL games of the 1980s was Montana’s 6-yard touchdown pass to a leaping Clark in the 1981 NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park, giving the San Francisco 49ers a 27-21 victory. Dallas Cowboys. Levi’s Stadium, the 49ers’ current home, features two separate statues commemorating the game. One of them was Clark catching the ball. Another had Montana raise her arms in celebration. The statues have been in place since 2018.
Jackie RobinsonA statue honoring Robinson at McAdams Park in Wichita, Kansas, was recently vandalized, resulting in more than $145,000 in donations on what would have been his 105th birthday. But the man who broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier has other statues honoring him across the country. Since 2017, a 77-inch-tall statue of Robinson sliding to home plate has stood outside Dodger Stadium. Brooklyn also has a monument honoring Robinson and former Brooklyn Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese. In Robinson’s adopted hometown of Pasadena, California, a bronze statue of him as a football player stands outside the Rose Bowl in 1938 at what was then Pasadena Junior College. Robinson and his brother Mike are memorialized across the street in Pasadena with oversized bronze heads in a hall.
cristiano ronaldoIn 2014, a bronze statue was unveiled on the Portuguese island of Madeira in honor of the football superstar. The statue was vandalized in 2016 and someone inscribed the name and jersey number of another soccer star, Lionel Messi, on it. Portugal also has an airport named after Ronaldo that houses a bronze bust of him, although the bust has received widespread attention on social media for its lack of resemblance to him.
Pat SummittIn 2013, the University of Tennessee built “Pat Summitt Plaza” across the street from its home basketball court to honor the women’s basketball coach who led the Women’s Volunteers to 1,098 wins and eight national championships. There is a statue in the square that shows Samit with her arms folded and smiling instead of flashing her trademark eyes. The statue was erected 1 1/2 years after Summitt stepped down from coaching due to her battle with Alzheimer’s disease, which led to her death in 2016. Summitt also has statues erected in her honor in her hometown of Clarksville, Tennessee, and on the campus of Tennessee Martin University, where she played.
Dwyane WadeAlthough the statue has yet to be built, the Miami Heat announced last month that they plan to unveil a statue honoring Wade in front of the Kasea Center later this year. Wade won three NBA championships while playing for the Heat.
