The statue outside Crypto.com Arena honoring the late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant is full of typos.
Photos posted to X, formerly Twitter, by German NBA journalist André “Dré” Voigt show the misspellings of two players’ names and a word on the plaque marking Kobe’s 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 26, 2006.
One player from each team had their name spelled wrong on the engraving; Raptors guard José Calderón — whose last name was spelled “Calderson” — and Lakers forward Von Wafer – whose first name was written as “Vom.”
“It’s been in Ohio as early as the mid-1850s at least, brought in as an ornamental plant because of its unique foliage and white flowers,” Gardner said. “It was actually planted in people’s landscaping, and it has been spreading.”
In addition, the word “decision” next to Raptors guard Alvin Williams – who did not play the game due to the head coach’s decision – was misspelled. Instead, Williams received a “DNP – Coaches decicion” on the plaque honoring the Black Mamba’s highest-scoring game.
According to Voigt, who posted the photos early Sunday morning, the names are not misspelled on the official score sheet.
The Lakers did not immediately return a request for comment.