Lakers to wear Black Mamba uniforms on night of Kobe Bryant statue unveiling

The Los Angeles Lakers will wear their Black Mamba uniforms against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, the same day that a statue of the legendary Kobe Bryant will be unveiled outside of Crypto.com Arena.

The Lakers first wore the uniforms, which Bryant himself helped co-design, in the 2017-18 season as their first City Edition jersey. They are black and yellow and feature a snakeskin-like black print and drop shadows on the jersey numbers, a nod to a detail from the Lakers uniforms from Bryant’s rookie season in 1996-97. The uniforms also include an “LA 24” on the belt and the numbers 8 and 24 under the flap of each leg of the shorts.

Bryant, who tragically passed away in a helicopter accident in 2020, will be the seventh player in Lakers history to be honored with a statue. He joins his former teammate Shaquille O’Neal as well as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Chick Hearn.

Bryant is widely considered as not only one of the best players in Lakers history, but also the entire NBA. He played for 20 seasons and was an 18-time All-Star and five-time champion. He won an MVP award in the 2007-08 season and was named All-NBA 15 times and All-Defensive team 12 times.

Bryant is the Lakers’ all-time leader in points (33,643) and steals (1,944) and also ranks fourth in NBA history in scoring. On Jan. 26, 2006, Bryant exploded for 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, a mark that still ranks as the second-most ever scored in an NBA game. He scored 60 points in the final game of his career in 2016.

Bryant was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021, forever cementing his name among the greatest players in history. Now with this statue, Lakers fans for years to come will keep his memory in their hearts every time they attend a game.

The unveiling of the statue will begin at 3 p.m. PT and is set to be televised on Spectrum SportsNet. Public access to Star Plaza will be restricted on the day of the unveiling, but pedestrian access to Chick Hearn Court will open on Friday at 10 a.m. PT for fans who would like to view the statue in person.

Tip-off for the contest between the Lakers and Nuggets is set for 7 p.m. PT on Thursday and will be televised on TNT.