Word to the wise: If you're going to cast something in bronze, ask someone to proofread it first.
As reported by KTLA in Los Angeles, the 19-foot, 4,000-pound statue outside Crypto.com Arena honoring late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant is full of typos.
Photos posted on social media by German NBA journalist André “Dré” Voigt show the misspellings of two players’ names and a word on the plaque marking Kobe’s 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 26, 2006. One player from each team had their name spelled wrong on the engraving — Raptors guard José Calderón, whose last name was spelled “Calderson,” and Lakers forward Von Wafer, whose first name was written as “Vom.”
In addition, the word “decision” next to Raptors guard Alvin Williams — who did not play the game due to the head coach’s decision — was misspelled. Instead, Williams received a “DNP — Coaches decicion” on the plaque honoring Bryant's career-high single-game scoring effort.
The statue was unveiled Feb. 8.
“We have been aware of this for a few weeks and are already working to get it corrected soon,” a team spokesperson told the Southern California News Group, publisher of The Orange County Register, on Monday.
German basketball journalist André Voigt shared photos of the errors on Monday morning on X (formerly known as Twitter), with the post going viral.
Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow, said during the dedication ceremony last month that the statue, which depicts Kobe in his No. 8 jersey with his right index finger raised as he walked off the court following his 81-point performance, is the first of three that will be created to honor the five-time NBA champion and top scorer in Lakers history, who retired in 2016.
Another statue will feature Bryant in his No. 24 jersey, which he wore for the second half of his career, while a third will depict Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, who died with him and seven others in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020, in Calabasas. The planned location and the unveiling date for the other two statues have yet to be announced.
