In a surprising turn of events, the statue outside Crypto.com Arena commemorating the late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant has been discovered to contain multiple glaring typos. Photos shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, by NBA journalist André "Dré" Voigt have unveiled the misspellings of two players' names and a word on the plaque honoring Bryant's historic 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors on January 26, 2006.

The photographs captured the embarrassing errors etched onto the plaque beside the statue. As per Voigt's observations, the name of Raptors guard José Calderón was misspelled as "Calderson," while Lakers forward Von Wafer had his first name incorrectly written as "Vom." These inaccuracies raise questions about the attention to detail during the engraving process.

Adding to the list of errors, the word "decision" next to Raptors guard Alvin Williams was found to be misspelled. It should have indicated that Williams did not play in the game due to the coach's decision. Instead, the plaque erroneously reads "DNP - Coaches decicion." Such mistakes on a monument meant to honor Bryant's monumental achievement in his highest-scoring game are particularly disheartening.

Interestingly, Voigt pointed out that the names of the players were not misspelled on the official score sheet, further highlighting the discrepancy between the accurate record and the erroneous inscription on the statue's plaque.

The discovery of these typos has left fans and basketball enthusiasts questioning how such mistakes could occur in the creation and installation of a statue dedicated to one of the game's greatest icons. The significance of Kobe Bryant's contribution to the sport and his untimely passing only magnify the disappointment upon learning about these errors.

As of now, it is unclear how the errors were made and who bears responsibility for the oversight. The unveiling of the Kobe Bryant statue was intended to be a moment of reverence and admiration, but the prevalent typos have marred the monument's intended effect.

The attention these typos have garnered serves as a reminder for the importance of careful research, proofreading, and accuracy in all aspects of memorializing sports legends. It is expected that the necessary steps will be taken to rectify the errors and ensure that future tributes are free from such glaring mistakes.