HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 15: Unveiling of Kobe Bryant’s Hand & Footprints now permanently placed in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese Theatre on March 15, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
*Kobe Bryant’s handprints and footprints are now permanently displayed at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
Bryant became the first athlete to imprint his hands and feet in cement in 2011 but the block was reportedly kept in storage until now. It was unveiled in the venue’s forecourt during a ceremony on Wednesday, Urban Hollywood 411 reports.
“It is only fitting that my dad, Kobe Bryant, is the very first athlete to get their hand and footprint displayed here in the city of Los Angeles,” said Bryant’s eldest daughter, Natalia, during a speech. She was joined at the event by her mother Vanessa and her younger sisters Bianka and Capri.
“This day symbolizes the impact that he has had on a city that he loved and cared for so deeply,” she added.
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“From the moment that good fortune and a great trade brought Kobe to us in 1996, he wove his way into the tapestry of this city in a way no sports fan or even non-sports fan will ever forget,” said Lakers president Jeannie Buss.
“As you visit here for years to come, I encourage you to place your hands in his, and take a moment to stand in his shoes,” Natalia said. “This will be a treasure for the city of Los Angeles and my dad’s fans from all over the world to hold and to cherish.”
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 15: (L-R) Natalia Bryant, Vanessa Bryant, Bianka Bryant, Capri Bryant, Jeanie Buss and Byron Scott attend a ceremony unveiling and permanently placing Kobe Bryant’s hand and footprints in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese Theatre on March 15, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images)
The handprint ceremony comes after Kobe’s widow reached a $28.5 million settlement from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors over leaked photos of the helicopter crash that claimed the lives of her husband and daughter Gianna.
“Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant’s courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct,” Vanessa’s lawyer said in a March statement to People. “She fought for her husband, her daughter, and all those in the community whose deceased family were treated with similar disrespect. We hope her victory at trial and this settlement will put an end to this practice.”
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