Kobe Bryant's Death Anniversary: Lakers Icon To Get Statue in National Garden of American Heroes
Kobe Bryant's legacy will be honored with a statue at the National Garden of American Heroes.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to pay tribute to historical figures from various industries.
With this, public personalities such as former presidents, civil rights activists, musicians and athletes--including the five-time NBA champion--will be memorialized at the National Garden.
"The chronicles of our history show that America is a land of heroes. As I announced during my address at Mount Rushmore, the gates of a beautiful new garden will soon open to the public where the legends of America's past will be remembered," the declaration stated.
Moreover, the executive order also stated that the chosen individual embodies "the American spirit of daring and defiance, excellence and adventure, courage and confidence, loyalty and love."
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar will be joined by some notable persons, including Neil Armstrong, the first astronaut to walk on the Moon, as well as film producer Walt Disney and the late "Jeopardy" host Alex Trebek.
Despite this, the president did not specify when will Kobe Bryant's statue be constructed.
Vanessa Bryant Hints 2021 Plans Involving NBA Star
Prior to Trump's recent EO announcement, Vanessa Bryant hinted about her 2021 plans involving the basketball legend.
In a video obtained by The Shade Room, the former model posted an Instagram Story showing Post Its with words like "Mamba/Mambacita Foundation," Kobe Inc," "building a foundation," "LA Olympics 2028," "Kobe Statue," and "Hall of Fame."
Vanessa Bryant is making sure everything is in order this year 👀 pic.twitter.com/jRA7k0i963
— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) January 2, 2021
The news came weeks before the Kobe Bryant's death anniversay on January 26. To recall, Kobe, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven other passengers died in a helicopter crash in the rocky hillside of Calabasas last year.
At the time, multiple reports cited that the group was en route to Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks for a youth basketball tournament.
Vanessa Bryant's Plea Ahead of Kobe Bryant's Death Anniversary
Kobe's widow recently shared a heartfelt plea on Instagram, asking the media and fans to avoid sharing helicopter footage or the crash site as a respect for their family.
"Dear media, please be considerate when airing or posting remembrance footage. We ask that you do not air photos of the wreckage, helicopter in the air, or accident scene. We do NOT want to see it. Our year has been traumatic enough," she wrote.
In addition, Vanessa hopes that the tributes "are done in a classy and tasteful manner that is respectful of all our losses."
