5 incredible Kobe Bryant moments ahead of his Los Angeles Lakers statue unveiling

The Los Angeles Lakers are unveiling a statue of Kobe Bryant today ahead of their game against the Denver Nuggets.

The franchise announced the plan for the statue last August, one day after what would've been Bryant's 45th birthday. The 2/8/24 date was not a random choice. Bryant wore No. 8 and No. 24 during his Lakers career and his daughter Gianna wore No. 2 playing youth basketball. Bryant, Gianna, and seven other people died in helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on Jan. 26, 2020.

Bryant will become the sixth Laker to have a statue in his likeness, joining Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Broadcaster Chick Hearn also has a statue outside Crypto.com Arena in the "Star Plaza" area.

The Lakers will be wearing their Black Mamba uniforms in Bryant's honor. He helped design the jerseys ahead of the 2017-18 NBA season and features a snakeskin-like black print with shadows on the numbers.

Ahead of the statue unveiling, here's five incredible moments from Bryant's 17-year NBA career:

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Kobe Bryant's most Mamba moments

81-point game

The single-game scoring records are dominated by Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain. When Bryant made it into the NBA, only three players beside Chamberlain in NBA history had eclipsed 70 points in one game: David Thompson (73), David Robinson (71), and Elgin Baylor (70). Chamberlain did it seven times.

In January 2006, Bryant was weeks away from playing in his eighth NBA All-Star Game and led the league in scoring. On Jan. 22, the 21-19 Lakers were hosting the 14-26 Toronto Raptors. Bryant was in good form, averaging 38 points in his prior five matchups.

He started strong with 14 points in the first quarter as the Lakers trailed 36-29. He had another solid quarter in the second to have 26 by halftime and Los Angeles faced a 63-49 deficit.

Then the Mamba took over.

He doubled his game total in the third quarter alone. A 28-point fourth quarter gave him 81 points in all, second-most in NBA history behind Chamberlain's 100. The Lakers won 122-104 in one of the greatest scoring displays in NBA history.

60 points in his NBA farewell

Bryant scored 60 points or more six times in his NBA career. The first time was a 62-point performance in three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 20, 2005 but his final 60-point performance a decade later was equally memorable.

April 13, 2016 marked the finale of the 2015-16 NBA season and basketball fans were in for a treat. That day saw the defending champion Golden State Warriors challenge the record for regular season wins against the Memphis Grizzlies. At the same time, Bryant was playing in the final game of his NBA career against the Utah Jazz.

The 16-65 Lakers were the worst team in the Western Conference and facing a Jazz team hoping to sneak into the NBA playoffs. Johnson introduced Bryant before the game as former teammates and friends sat in the stands.

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The game seemed poised for a ho-hum sendoff to end another down year for Los Angeles as the Jazz led 57-42 at halftime. Instead of that, Bryant turned back the clock for the final 24 minutes.

He outscored the Jazz 23-21 in the fourth quarter, including the winning shot with 31.6 seconds left, and played all but the last 4.1 seconds of the final frame. He went out with a career-high 50 shot attempts from the field - more than his 81-point performance - and the Lakers won 101-96.

"I grew up a diehard Laker fan," Bryant said to the crowd after the game. "To be traded to this organization and spend 20 years, you can’t write something better than this."

Sinking free throws with a torn Achilles

The Lakers had clinched a playoff spot by April 12, 2013 when they hosted the Warriors. Bryant was the driving force behind most of it as he played the second-most minutes in the league that season. Then-Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak told Bryant he was playing too much, per the Los Angeles Times, but Bryant said he needed the minutes to ensure a playoff berth.

Bryant came up limping in the third quarter but kept playing. With three minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Lakers facing a 109-107 deficit, Bryant drove on Harrison Barnes and his right leg gave out. His achilles tendon was torn, a season-ending injury for the All-Star. He stayed on the court, though, and sunk the game-tying free throws before limping off the court to a standing ovation. Los Angeles won 118-116.

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A Madison Square Garden record

Los Angeles was in the middle of a title-winning season that would see them triumph over the Orlando Magic. The Lakers were rolling at 37-9 and taking on the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden, one of the oldest and most famous arenas in the league.

Knicks great Bernard King scored the most points in that arena's history with 60 on Christmas Day in 1984. Nearly 25 years later, Bryant would do him one better.

Kobe went 19 of 31 from the field and a perfect 20-for-20 from the free throw line to score 61 points, the most in Madison Square Garden history. The Lakers rolled to a 126-117 victory thanks to Bryant and fellow All-Star Pau Gasol's 31 points and 14 rebounds. His record would remain until 2014 when Carmelo Anthony scored 62.

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The 'Redeem Team' triumphs

Bryant's list of accolades is lengthy. Eighteen All-Star game appearances, 15 All-NBA honors, 12 All-Defensive team awards, five NBA titles, two NBA Finals MVP awards, and two scoring titles. In the summer of 2008, he set his sights on another goal: Olympic gold.

In the 2004 Summer Olympics and 2006 FIBA World Championships, the U.S. men's basketball team had only managed bronze medals. It was a far cry from the infamous "Dream Team" run in the 1992 Summer Olympics. That changed with Bryant as captain.

Bryant captained a squad featuring 11 All-Stars including LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, and Anthony. The U.S. outscored opponents 515-354 in give group stage games before rolling over Australia, Argentina, and Spain - led by Bryant's teammate and friend Gasol - to secure the team's first Olympic gold medal since 2000. That run inspired documentaries on Netflix and ESPN and many of the players credit Bryant with setting the tone for their gold medal-winning run.

Lakers vs. Nuggets: Odds, spread, and how to watch

The Nuggest are favored to defeat the Lakers Thursday night, according to the BetMGM odds. Looking to wager? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering betting promos in 2024.

• Spread: Denver (-3.5)

• Moneyline: Denver (-165); Los Angeles (+140)

• Over/under: 229.5

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kobe Byrant statue unveiling: 5 incredible Mamba moments