Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant, whose nickname was ‘Gigi,’ shared a beautiful father and daughter bond, and it was also the game of basketball that connected the two even closer. The elder Bryant having been recognized as one of the greatest players of his generation in his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and his 13-year-old, who was the second oldest child with wife Vanessa Bryant was following in her dad’s footsteps as an aspiring basketball star with dreams of playing for the University of Connecticut (Huskies) one day. Both perished in a helicopter crash Sunday that also claimed the lives of 7 others (including the pilot) in Calabasas, California. They, along with the other passengers, were headed to Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, according to multiple news outlets. The five-time NBA champion was 41.
News of the basketball legend’s death shocked the world, and further updates that confirmed his daughter was also on board and did not survive was too much to comprehend. Lately, when you saw Kobe, you saw Gianna by his side. The dutiful dad seemed to have always had a protective arm wrapped around his teenager, who showed equal enthusiasm for the game Bryant loved his entire life.
In a 2018 interview on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Bryant was asked if Gianna planned to play in the WNBA.
“She does, for sure,” the proud papa responded.
Bryant then shared how he was often asked by fans, ‘when would he and Vanessa have a boy to carry on the tradition, the legacy?” It drew laughs from the audience when he repeated the way in which his daughter responded [watch at 3:17]. “Oye! I got this. Ain’t no boy for that. I got this.” Bryant: That’s right. Yes, you do. You got this.” And it was with that assurance where you saw a father invested in his child’s dreams. Bryant coached Gianna’s middle school basketball team and the two were also seen at various basketball games where he would school Gianna on the sport.
Bryant referred to Gianna as the “Mambacita” on Instagram as part of taking on the reigns from his “Black Mamba” mentality that led him to become the star athlete the world knew and loved.
Though Bryant was regarded as a bonafide legend, he was most proud to be a father. His surviving daughters, Natalia Diamante,17, Bianka Belle,3, and 7-month-old Capri Kobe, were equally doted on by Bryant.
But it’s beyond unrealistic and heartbreaking that a young girl so much like her father will no longer fulfill her basketball dreams with what we imagined would have been a beaming Bryant on the sidelines.
Bryant’s dear affection for the daughter who would carry on his legacy showed in another Instagram post celebrating Gianna’s milestone birthday in May of 2019.
“Happy 13th birthday my Gigi! I love you beyond measure baby #teen #daddysgirl #tauro #mambacita.”
View this post on Instagram
Happy 13th birthday my Gigi! I love you beyond measure baby #teen #daddysgirl #tauro #mambacita
Prayers for the Bryant family and the other passenger’s families in what has become an unthinkable tragedy, our hearts will forever remember Kobe Bryant and his baby girl, Gianna.
By BSM Team
Feature photo: Getty Images
