Grizzlies rookie breaks Kobe Bryant's longstanding, incredible record on Lakers legend's statue unveiling day

Memphis Grizzlies rookie Gregory Jackson II made a statement on a day when all eyes were on Kobe Bryant's statue unveiling in LA. The guard broke one of the Black Mamba's impressive records when he suited up against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, Feb. 8, by coming off the bench to pour 27 points. His efforts, however, weren't enough as the Bulls propped up a 118-110 win. Although the Grizzlies ended on the losing side, Jackson broke Bryant's record.

The 19-year-old forward became the youngest player in league history to score 25+ points coming off the bench, a record that was previously held by Bryant (in 1997).

With injuries plaguing the Grizzlies, Jaren Jacskon Jr. led from the front with 28 points. Jackson had 27 points with nine rebounds. DeMar DeRozan had 30 points and eight rebounds for the Bulls. Nikola Vucevic and Coby White had 20 points each while Andre Drummond came off the bench to drop 21 points.

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Gregory Jackson makes a case for himself as Lakers unveil a 19-foot statue of Kobe Bryant

The LA Lakers unveiled Kobe Bryant's statue on Thursday as they honored their late superstar with a 19-foot bronze likeness outside the Crypto.com Arena. The 4,000-pound statue sees the 5x NBA champion in his No. 8 jersey with his right index finger raised after his mammoth 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in 2006.

Speaking during the ceremony, Bryant's wife Vanessa said that the statue is the first of the three that will be made to honor the late superstar's legacy. Another statue will honor the legend in his No. 24 jersey which he sported in the second half of his career. The third will feature Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, who died tragically with him in a helicopter crash in 2020.

Coming back to Gregory Jackson, his achievement will be one to make him a player to watch out for, as the Grizzlies look to end their season on a high. The team is well out of playoff contention and with nothing to lose, Memphis can look at giving their bench more minutes. The forward has played 19 games for the Grizzlies this season, averaging 8.9 points and 3.2 rebounds.

Jackson was selected by the Grizzlies with the 45th overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft, and he subsequently joined the team for the 2023 NBA Summer League. Last August, he inked a two-way contract with the Grizzlies.