Donald Trump announces statue for Kobe Bryant to depict ‘historically significant Americans’
Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant's drive and worth ethic are an inspiration for many across the globe.
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'Historically significant American' Kobe Bryant will get a statue said President Donald Trump
It has been five years since the great Kobe Bryant passed away. But even now, he is the symbol of excellence on the basketball court and in the world of sports. His drive, work ethic and passion have spilled over to other walks of life as he became an icon in his own right.
President Donald Trump was hosting African Americans at the White House to honor Black History Month. At the event, he also had golfing great Tiger Woods alongside him on the dais as he talked about the ‘historically significant Americans’ who have helped shape the culture of this country.
He then announced plans to build statues of those historically great Black figures at the National Garden of American Heroes. The returning President mentioned the names of Aretha Franklin, Coretta Scott King, Frederick Douglass, Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King Jr., and Muhammad Ali.
Along with that, he announced that the Los Angeles Lakers great was also going to get a statue. This brought out a round of cheers from those gathered inside the White House as he is the most recent Black American to have a prominent role in modern society.
President Trump announces the National Garden of American Heroes will have the following statues of African American icons:
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 20, 2025
– Harriet Tubman
– Rosa Parks
– Billie Holiday
– Aretha Franklin
– Coretta Scott King
– Frederick Douglass
– Jackie Robinson
– Martin Luther King Jr.
-… pic.twitter.com/DE0W7wuv8n
Kobe Bryant already has two statues outside of Crypto.com Arena, home of his Los Angeles Lakers. This will be his third as fans still get inspired by him. At the moment, it is not known as to when this statue will be ready but expect President Donald Trump to inaugurate it.
Heat legend managed to shut Kobe Bryant up for once
There are tales aplenty about how opponents talked trash and received their payback from Mamba himself. But Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem was one of the few who managed to shut Kobe Bryant up. He revealed that while on his podcast The OGs Show.
We were playing against the Lakers. Me and Dwight going back and forth, and then Kobe got involved. I said, ‘Stay outta this, Kobe. This ain’t got nothing to do with you.’ And he said, ‘Oh, so you’re a tough guy now?’ I said, ‘No, I’m a real n***a.’ And he shut up.
Udonis Haslem said
The three-time NBA Champion added that the Lakers legend respected his stance. Therefore, it seemed wise for him to stay out of that trash-talking battle. For Udonis Haslem, that was his Kobe ‘Bean’ Bryant moment.
Udonis Haslem speaks on the time he got Kobe Bryant to shut up
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 20, 2025
“We were playing against the Lakers—me and Dwight going back and forth—and then Kobe got involved. I said, ‘Stay outta this, Kobe. This ain’t got nothing to do with you.’ And he said, ‘Oh, so you’re a tough guy… pic.twitter.com/J5APGsTX8U
The now ESPN analyst went on to say that ahead of that game, he understood what made Bryant special. Haslem saw him enter the court four hours before their game to start getting his shots up. Then to come into the game and demand to guard Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade all game was something else.
Haslem added that this ‘Mamba’ mentality is what made him different than other stars. He has seen this same mentality in Michael Jordan and that is why it is fitting for people across the world to be mesmerized by the grit Kobe Bryant showed.
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Joseph Varghese
(2526 Articles Published)