Vanessa Bryant Honors Kobe Bryant, Gianna 6 Years After Their Deaths

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Vanessa Bryant is remembering the lives of her loved ones. 

Six years after her husband, Kobe Bryant, and daughter, Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, tragically died in a helicopter crash that claimed nine lives in January 2020, the businesswoman posted a heartfelt message celebrating their memories.

Vanessa Bryant, who shares daughters Natalia (23), Bianka (9), and Capri (6) with the late Kobe Bryant, posted an old photo on Instagram Stories January 26th. The picture shows Kobe hugging their daughter Gigi, and both are wearing Lakers clothing. The post marked six years since the tragic crash and Vanessa simply added a red heart emoji to the sweet image.

Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others were traveling by helicopter from Orange County to Kobe’s Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California, when the aircraft crashed. A year later, investigators determined that the pilot, Ara Zobayan, likely experienced spatial disorientation – a loss of awareness of the helicopter’s position – due to the foggy conditions that morning. This disorientation caused him to lose control of the helicopter.

Following the tragic passing of Kobe and Gigi Bryant, Vanessa has worked to honor their memory by growing the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, a charity that helps young athletes who lack resources.

Taylor Swift demonstrated her support for the family by wearing a sweatshirt featuring their foundation in her docuseries, The End of an Era.

Vanessa shared a screenshot from a video of Taylor Swift playing guitar and wearing a blue sweatshirt on her Instagram Story on December 31st, writing, “What a gift! We love you @taylorswift!!!!!!”

Vanessa Bryant, 43, often uses social media to remember her late husband, Kobe, and daughter, Gigi. She recently shared her feelings of loss on what would have been Kobe’s 47th birthday.

My heart goes out to Vanessa Bryant. She recently shared a sweet throwback photo on Instagram of her with Kobe, and the caption was just so touching. She wrote about how much she and Gigi miss him, sending all her love and wishing him a happy birthday. It’s a beautiful reminder of their family and the love they shared, even in moments of grief. It really resonated with me, and I think it will with a lot of people too.

Just a month earlier, the philanthropist had also mentioned that her youngest daughter was beginning to pursue athletics, much like Kobe Bryant.

On July 24th, Vanessa Bryant shared a sweet Instagram post showing her daughter, Capri, mirroring a classic basketball pose of her father, Kobe. The split image highlighted their similar stances while holding a basketball. Vanessa affectionately called Capri “Baby Mamba” – a nod to Kobe’s famous nickname – and also referred to her as “KoKo Bean,” further emphasizing the resemblance.

For a look back at the Bryant family’s sweetest memories, read on…

On June 19, 2000, the basketball star celebrated his NBA Championship win with his parents, Joe Bryant and Pamela Bryant.

The duo were all smiles while posing for a portrait in November 2000.

Vanessa showed off her baby bump at the 2019 Baby2Baby Gala in Los Angeles.

In December 2019, Kobe Bryant shared on Instagram, “Happy Birthday B.B.! I can’t believe you’re already three years old! We love you, little mamacita.”

 

“My Bianka Bella Bryant (BBB),” Kobe wrote on Instagram back in November 2019.

“Happy Thanksgiving! Thankful for my family!” Kobe wrote via Instagram back in November 2019.

The Bryants dressed up as characters from The Wizard of Oz back in October 2019.

“My Gigi,” Kobe wrote on Instagram back in September 2019.

In 2019, a father and daughter were spotted sitting courtside at the Lakers-Mavericks game at Staples Center.

In September 2019, Vanessa Bryant unexpectedly brought our daughters, B.B. and KoKo, to my book signing for #legacyandthequeen at Barnes & Noble, as I shared in the post.

In May 2019, about a month before their daughter Capri was born, Kobe Bryant posted a heartfelt message to his wife Vanessa on Instagram. He wrote, ‘Happy Mother’s Day @vanessabryant, we love you and appreciate everything you do for our family. You’re the heart of everything we cherish.’ He affectionately called her #mybaby, #lioness, #mamabear, and #queenmamba.

 

I had such a wonderful time visiting UConn for their Senior Night and to celebrate the incredible career of Coach Geno Auriemma – a true legend! It was special to be there with my little girl, Gigi, and experience the warm welcome from everyone at Gampel Pavilion. Sending all my best wishes to the team for the rest of their season.

I’ll never forget seeing Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, at that Lakers game against the Hawks. It was such a sweet moment – they were really connecting over basketball, and it was clear how much they loved the game together. It’s a memory I cherish now, knowing what happened later.

In 2018, Vanessa, Kobe, Natalia, and Gianna were all at the Los Angeles premiere of the movie A Wrinkle in Time.

I was so surprised and thrilled when my family whisked me away to Cabo for my 40th birthday! It was an incredible trip, and we were all about making memories together – we even playfully called ourselves the ‘#bryantbunch’ and embraced the ‘#queenmamba’ and ‘#mambacitas’ spirit. It was a birthday I’ll never forget!

Kobe and his family members attended a women’s basketball game in Los Angeles back in 2017.

Kobe Bryant beamed while posing for photos with his family at his jersey retirement ceremony in 2017. Basketball legend Magic Johnson was also in attendance.

Kobe attended the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports Awards with Vanessa, Gianna and Natalia in 2016.

Here, the family members were pictured at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Bryant celebrated his major win with his daughter Gianna by his side.

It was such a heartwarming moment! Seeing LeBron get a hug from his daughter right before the 2016 NBA All-Star Game just made my day. It’s little things like that that really stick with me as a fan.

In 2011, Kobe Bryant’s wife and daughters were present for his hand and footprint ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

 

Kobe, his wife and their daughters celebrated the Lakers’ NBA championship at Disneyland in 2010.

In 2009, the basketball star joined Vanessa and their children to celebrate a Lakers championship with a parade in Los Angeles.

In a 2017 interview with Extra, Kobe affectionately called his daughters “Daddy’s little princesses.” The photo shows him with his wife, Vanessa, and daughter Natalia from 2007.

Vanessa Bryant posted an adorable picture of her youngest daughter, 6-year-old Capri, who seems to be taking after her dad, Kobe, with her athletic abilities.

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2026-01-27 23:47