Donald Trump probably meant well when he announced that Kobe Bryant would get a statue in the National Garden of American Heroes. And while the Lakers legend is well respected among his peers and the new generation of basketball players, he is also one of the more polarizing characters.
Trump Accidentally Started a New Kobe Controversy Debate
In a historic announcement, President Donald Trump declared that Kobe Bryant will be honored with a statue in the National Garden of American Heroes. He made the announcement as part of celebrations during Black History Month. Kobe will join American heroes like Dr. Martin Luther King, Muhammad Ali, Rosa Parks, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Jackie Robinson, and more.
The announcement received mixed results on social media. Some fans love the fact that Kobe Bryant is getting another statue. He will be the only basketball player in the National Garden of American Heroes. That fact alone makes Kobe a legend, but some fans didn’t like it. They think that players like Bill Russell should get a statue before the Lakers legend. After all, Russell was one of the prominent figures of the anti-racism movement. LeBron James, another great American basketball player surely cannot make the cut, since he is a pro-democrat.
What is the National Garden of American Heroes?
The National Garden of American Heroes is a proposed sculpture garden honoring great figures of American history. President Donald Trump came up with the idea during his first presidential term. He announced it for the first time during an Independence Day event in Keystone, South Dakota in 2020. He then signed a series of executive orders in the final months of his first term in office. Yet, Congress never appropriated funding for such a garden.
Trump’s vision includes the creation of 250 statues depicting notable Founding Fathers, activists, political figures, athletes, celebrities, and pop culture icons. From the very beginning, historians and scholars questioned the premise of the garden.
Fans Go Crazy For Kobe Statue
As we mentioned previously, Trump’s idea to include Kobe Bryant’s statue in the new Garden is a controversial one. There is no denying Kobe was one of the biggest athletes in American history and a basketball legend. Some fans, however, think there are more deserving players. We mentioned Bill Russell, but we can also talk about Michael Jordan, the man who single-handedly saved the NBA in the 1990s and made it a global phenom.
Fans on social media also pointed to Kobe’s alleged sexual assault and the subsequent trial. While he was never sentenced for the alleged crime, it remained a black mark on his resume. Some comments on social media go to the extreme, saying, “Woman abuser supporting a woman abuser are we shocked”.
Of course, there are even comedic comments, like some people saying, “Trump better not hire the same guys that made the Dwyane Wade statue.
Some of the athletes that made the list include boxing legend Muhammad Ali, golf superstar Tiger Woods, and American baseball legend and pioneer of the anti-racist movement, Jackie Robinson. Speaking about his decision, Trump said,
“It’s going to be unbelievable… We’ll honor hundreds of our greatest Americans to ever live, including countless black Americans.”
Photo credit: © Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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