Sylvester Stallone thinks Kobe Bryant should get a statue in Philadelphia next to Rocky

One Philadelphia sports legend would be happy to share the spotlight with another. Rocky Balboa — or at least the guy who plays him — believes Kobe Bryant should get a statue in Philadelphia.

Sylvester Stallone was asked about that possibility in February, and was on board with the idea, according to TMZ. Stallone said Bryant should “absolutely” get a statue next to the Rocky statue in Philly.

While Bryant never played for any Philadelphia teams, he has significant ties to the city. Bryant was born there, and attended high school in Philadelphia. Though he spent all of his professional career in Los Angeles, Bryant remained a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan. His reaction after the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018 was pure joy mixed with some profanity.

In the days following Bryant’s death, fans and NBA players have paid tribute to Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna in various ways. NBA teams took symbolic penalties to honor Bryant. Some players went so far as to change their jersey numbers. Fans, meanwhile, built a makeshift memorial outside Staples Center. The arena began taking down that memorial Monday. Bryant’s wife Vanessa has requested to receive the items fans left behind at Bryant’s memorial.

While fans would likely also support a Bryant statue in Philadelphia, there’s no indication that’s in the works at the moment. And for as much weight as Rocky’s endorsement carries among Philadelphians, we don’t think Stallone is in a position to dictate policy in the city just yet.

If Philadelphia does consider the idea, though, it helps that Stallone is in favor of it.

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