Vanessa Bryant
She commemorates her daughter Gigi on her 16th birthday
Vanessa Bryant lost her husband Kobe Bryant and their daughter Gigi in 2020.
© imago images/NurPhoto
Vanessa Bryant wished her late daughter Gigi a happy birthday. She would have celebrated her 16th birthday on May 1st.
Gianna “Gigi” Bryant would have celebrated her 16th birthday on May 1st. Her father, basketball star Kobe Bryant (1978-2020), and she died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. Mother and widow Vanessa Bryant (39) has now lovingly wished her late daughter a happy birthday. “Happy birthday little girl,” she wrote on Instagram. “I love you Gigi! We miss you so much.” She also posted a photo and a video showing Gianna Bryant throwing a basketball basket.
“You are special”
Vanessa Bryant also shared another emotional clip with pencil drawings by daughter Gigi and husband Kobe. “Dear Gianna, from the first time you imagined winning a WNBA championship, I knew one thing was true: you are special,” the video reads.
Gigi Bryant “inherited great things”. “But it was never about what you inherited,” the words continue. “It was about what you gave to others. When someone stands up for gender equality, and every time someone gives their best, I know you’re on the pitch. I will always love you.”
Natalia Bryant (19) is also remembered on Instagram to her dead sister. “Happy sweet 16 years my dearest Gigi,” she captioned a photo of the siblings kissing Gianna on the cheek. “I love you to the moon and back – forever and ever.”
Gianna Bryant was considered a great basketball talent
One of Gianna Bryant’s greatest goals was to play in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The 13-year-old was considered a great talent and had accompanied her father to his games from an early age. The five-time NBA champion coached his daughter after retiring from professional sports in 2016 and has repeatedly raved about her great talent in interviews.
Kobe and Gianna Bryant died on January 26, 2020 along with seven other people in a helicopter crash west of Los Angeles. They were on their way to a youth basketball game that Gianna was supposed to be playing at.