Statues in sports: From “Us Uwe his foot” to Kobe Bryant’s magical moment

Enlarge image

The Los Angeles Lakers have unveiled the first of three planned statues honoring Kobe Bryant

Photo: Eric Thayer / AP

It was a performance that only happens once in decades: In the game against Toronto, Kobe Bryant threw and scored at will - to end up with an incredible score of 81 points. Since then, January 22, 2006 has been firmly anchored in the history books of the NBA. And with it also an iconic photo of Bryant, in which he triumphantly raises the index finger of his right hand into the air.

In this pose, the late basketball superstar Kobe Bryant now stands as a bronze statue in front of the Los Angeles Lakers arena. “For the record,” his wife Vanessa Bryant said during the ceremony, “Kobe chose the pose, so if anyone has a problem with it, so be it. It is what it is."

A quote from Bryant is immortalized on the base of the statue, which is almost six meters high and weighs 1,814 kilograms: "Leave the game better than you found it." He went on to say at the time: "And when it's time for you to go, leave a legend". Leaving a legend or a statue, in Bryant's case three. Other sports greats were also given this honor:

The smile is crooked and one eye is a little droopy: the bust of Cristiano Ronaldo, which was unveiled at the airport on the Portuguese island of Madeira in 2017, caused scorn and ridicule online. So much so that a year later it was exchanged and replaced with a sculpture more similar to him. The statue was actually just a symbol of another honor: the reason was the renaming of the airport after the world footballer who was born on the island.

With the ball at his feet, Lionel Messi is almost unstoppable on the pitch. Hardly anyone can handle the ball as quickly, as agilely and controlledly and with as many changes of direction as the Argentine. So it's only logical that his statue shows him in his most famous pose: dribbling. In the Costanera Sur Natural Park in Buenos Aires, his image stands in the company of Argentine sports stars. However, the monument does not seem to be particularly popular in its homeland. The sculpture of the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has been damaged several times.

“Loyalty never fades away” is written on the base of the seven-meter-tall statue in front of the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Basketball player Dirk Nowitzki was honored with a monument for his loyalty at his old place of work. The Würzburg native wore the Dallas Mavericks jersey for 21 years. The former most valuable player in the NBA can be seen in a scene that is typical for him: the “One Leg Fadeaway,” a variation of the jump shot. Nowitzki scored more than 31,000 points for the Mavericks, making him one of the best basket hunters in NBA history.

It looks as if Sir Alex Fergusons is watching his team's game on the pitch with a critical eye from the sidelines. Just like he did for Manchester United for almost 27 years, in 1,500 competitive games. During his tenure at the Red Devils, the former coach won a total of 49 titles, making him not only a club legend, but also one of the most successful club coaches in history. Ferguson sat in the dugout for the last time on May 19, 2013; his image has been watching over the team in front of the north stand of Old Trafford since 2022.

Zinédine Zidane became world and European champions with France and was voted world footballer of the year three times. But a tragic moment is also part of the narrative of his career. The Algerian artist Abdel Abdessemed immortalized this in a sculpture: During the 2006 World Cup final in Berlin, one word gave way in an argument with the Italian Marco Materazzi - and Zidane rammed his head into his opponent's chest with full force. “Zizou” saw the red card, France lost the final against Squadra Azzurra on penalties. Abdessemed kept his title simple: “Coup de tête.” Headbutt.

He was an idol at Hamburger SV and honorary captain of the national team: Uwe Seeler shot himself into the hearts of football fans with his outstanding football skills and down-to-earth manner. A crucial factor was his right foot, which is still remembered today. The replica of the foot of “Uns Uwe” is 3.50 meters high, 2.30 meters deep, 5.15 meters wide and weighs several tons, cast in bronze at a scale of 20:1 by the artist Brigitte Schmitges. “You can even see all my injuries,” said Seeler enthusiastically at the inauguration of the monument in front of the Volksparkstadion in 2005.

It is actually considered recognition and appreciation when one's life's work is immortalized in a statue - actually. Sometimes the artistic implementation is met with ridicule. Like Ronaldo, this happened to the footballer Mohamed Salah. The Liverpool FC striker was to be honored in his native Egypt; artist Mai Abdel Allah showed the Premier League's three-time top scorer with his typical celebration. However, in slightly different body dimensions than in reality. This was intended to represent the success of Egyptian youth, determination and hope, but it was not always received that way. In any case, Salah didn't mind the reactions. He called Abdel: "He asked me not to pay attention to the negative comments ️️and asked me to take time to work on a new statue to put up in his house," she wrote on Facebook at the time.

Hardly represented in this selection: female athletes. Until now, women have rarely been immortalized as statues. One of the few is tennis icon Billie Jean King, who was immortalized at her university in Los Angeles. In 1973, she defeated her male colleague Riggs in three sets in the exhibition competition known as the “Battle of the Sexes”. Hardly anyone at the time expected the woman to win. Even though the 29-year-old King was one of the best players in the world at the time and Riggs, 55, was just an aging ex-professional and Wimbledon winner in 1939. Almost 50 million Americans watched on television, around 30,400 were live in the Astrodome in Houston included. Even after her career ended, Billie Jean King continued to advocate for female athletes and the promotion of girls.

There are enough exceptional athletes for more statues. Megan Rapinoe, for example. The soccer player not only became a world champion and Olympic champion. She is also one of the generation of US soccer players who took on the association in the fight for equal pay and even went to court for it. As an activist, she campaigned for equal rights and the rights of homosexual people, and also stood up to former US President Donald Trump. Or the artistic gymnast Simone Biles, who not only invents new elements, but also advocates for an open approach to mental problems and fights against sexual abuse in her association.