Gigi Bryant, daughter of Vanessa and the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant, would have turned 19 on Thursday. Vanessa marked the day with an emotional birthday tribute on Instagram.
Kobe Bryant, 41, and Gianna, 14, were among the nine who died half a decade ago due to a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Both were supposedly on their way to Gigi’s important youth basketball match.
Vanessa shared a photo of her daughter in a Mamba Academy jersey, sweetly sharing a short message: “Happy birthday, Gigi! Mommy loves and misses you more than I could ever express. I love you, Gianna. ❤️19 ♉️ 5/1 #Mambacita,” she wrote. She also reposted this on her story.
The post got over 684k likes in 17 hours, including comments from basketball stars and influencers spreading love for Gigi. WNBA legend Lisa Leslie and San Antonio Spurs star Chris Paul were among them.
“Sending love on this special day ❤️Happy Birthday Gigi❤️❤️❤️,” Leslie wrote.
“Happy Birthday Day Gigi!! ❤️❤️,” Chris Paul wrote.
More figures gave their remarks.
“Love you Gigi ❤️❤️Happy Birthday ❤️,” La La Anthony, the former wife of Carmelo Anthony, wrote.
“Happy birthday Gigi❤️,” former NBA player Matt Barnes commented.
“Happy birthday sweet girl ❤️❤️,” Winnie Harlow, the fiance of Kyle Kuzma, wrote.
Kobe Bryant’s daughter, Gigi, began basketball training under him, showing immense potential and skill. Bryant gave her the nickname “Mambacita” just a month before their passing, deriving from his signature “Black Mamba.” She just entered high school then.
Now, Vanessa and many more continue to pay tribute to the Bryants.
Luka Doncic shares reason for donating to Kobe Bryant mural
Luka Doncic, the new Los Angeles Lakers superstar, had deeply admired Kobe Bryant, his predecessor to being the face of the franchise. Recently, the Slovenian star helped fix a damaged Kobe and Gigi mural along LA, leading to a GoFundMe donation by giving $5,000 to the cause.
After the Lakers’ practice ahead of their Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Doncic revealed the reason behind his donation.
“Like I always say, my foundation gives back to organizations in the community,” Doncic said. “It’s always important to give back to the community that gave me so much. So just wanted to give back.”
Much of Kobe Bryant’s skills on the court had influenced Doncic, helping him grow into one of the biggest stars of the league. Now with the Lakers, the former Mavericks star is carving out a legacy reminiscent of the path Kobe Bryant once walked.”
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through sabelreyes22@gmail.com. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
