The 19-foot, 4,000-pound statue of Kobe Bryant in downtown Los Angeles is the latest example of a sports team honoring a player with this kind of larger-than-life presence. The Crypto.com Arena alone has statues of six other former Lakers employees, including five players. Bryant joins that impressive list. Some figures, such as Roberto Clemente, Jackie Robinson and Pat Summitt, have more than one statue.
Jackie Robinson, the first Black baseball player to play in the American major leagues during the 20th century. He famously broke the color line of Major League Baseball (MLB) when he appeared on the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. A baseball icon, his number was retired across MLB in 1997.