Vanessa Bryant posts sweet photo of husband Kobe and daughter Gianna on 4th anniversary of deaths
Vanessa Bryant is remembering her late husband, Kobe Bryant, and their daughter Gianna on the 4th anniversary of their deaths.
On Jan. 26, Vanessa shared a sweet photo of the pair sitting courtside at a basketball game and smiling for the camera.
In the caption, Vanessa shared two red-heart emojis.
On Instagram, the Lakers also shared the same photo and wrote, "Forever 💜," in the caption.
Vanessa's heartwarming post comes after her 21-year-old daughter, Natalia, whom she also shares with Bryant, made a special appearance at the Los Angeles Dodgers’ annual “Lakers Night" back in August 2023.
There, Natalia honored her dad by throwing the ceremonial first pitch on Friday, Sept. 1, during a matchup between the Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves.
Collaborating with Natalia Bryant, the Dodgers wrote in a post on Instagram, "Welcome back to Dodger Stadium, Vanessa, Natalia, Bianka and Capri! Thank you for joining us to celebrate the legacies of Kobe and Gigi on Lakers Night."
In her own post, Natalia Bryant shared three photos on the field Friday night, the last of which she's showing off blue shoes from Nike's Kobe line.
"LA love," she wrote, adding a white heart emoji.
In a moment honoring her dad, Natalia Bryant held her younger sister, Capri, while standing beside mother Vanessa Bryant and sister Bianka.
They were joined by Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts, who donned Kobe Bryant's iconic Lakers jersey.
Kobe Bryant spent his entire 20-year career playing for the Lakers, originally sporting No. 8 before changing to the No. 24 jersey. He retired in 2016.
The superstar athlete and wife Vanessa welcomed four children together: Natalia, Gianna “Gigi”, Bianka and Capri. Kobe Bryant and 13-year-old daughter Gigi died in a helicopter crash in January 2020, along with seven other people.
On Aug. 23, Natalia Bryant uploaded a picture to Instagram of her dad holding her when she was a toddler to celebrate what would’ve been his 45th birthday. He wore a Dodgers cap and jersey in the snap.
“Happy Birthday Daddy❤️” she wrote in the caption.
Vanessa Bryant also paid tribute to her husband, whom she married in 2001.
She uploaded a carousel of photos of them kissing, gazing into each other’s eyes and attending red carpet events together.
“Happy 45th birthday, baby,” she said. “I love you always & forever. ❤️” She added the hashtag “#82378,” which represents his birth date of Aug. 23, 1978.
Since his death, the 41-year-old philanthropist has continued to express her love for Kobe Bryant and Gigi and honor their legacy. She also never misses an opportunity to praise Natalia, Bianka, 6, and Capri, 4.
Here’s what she has said about their four daughters in recent years.
Natalia Bryant
Vanessa Bryant welcomed her oldest daughter to her 20s with a sweet birthday post in January.
“Happy 20th birthday @nataliabryant !!!” she cheered. “Welcome to your 20’s!!!!!! We love you so much baby!!!”
The model joined her mom and sisters in March at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatre for a ceremony that unveiled a special tribute to her father. Kobe Bryant’s handprints and footprints are now permanently displayed in front of the historic theatre. Natalia Bryant gave a speech at the event unveiling the prints.
She credited her father for encouraging her to currently pursue a film degree at the University of Southern California.
“He is the reason film has inspired me to create memories like ours for other people to even bring more fathers and daughters together like us,” she shared. “This all brings me to this moment now, which makes honoring my dad here 10 times more special and personal to me in so many ways.”
She added, “As you visit here for years to come, I encourage you to place your hands in his and take a moment to stand in his shoes.”
Gigi Bryant
May 1, 2023 marked what would have been Gigi’s 17th birthday. Vanessa Bryant honored her daughter in three separate Instagram posts.
In one post, Gigi smiled wildly while riding a horse on a carousel.
“Happy 17th birthday, baby girl. I love you and miss you so much, sweet Angel,” the proud mom wrote.
Another post showed Gigi posing next to sisters Natalia and Bianka. Vanessa Bryant wished her daughter a happy birthday again and added, “We love you to the moon and back infinity +1. Forever & Always. ❤️”
In her last picture, Vanessa Bryant held Bianka while standing beside Natalia and Gigi.
“Te Amo Mambacita ❤️ Happy birthday, baby girl,” she concluded. Mambacita is Gigi’s nickname as the teenager played basketball just like her father, who was also known as the Black Mamba.
Bianka Bryant
Bianka Bryant recently shared an unforgettable moment with her mom and sisters while attending one of Taylor Swift’s Eras concerts in Los Angeles.
The 6-year-old was gifted Swift’s coveted black hat that she wears while singing her song “22.”
Vanessa Bryant shared multiple photos and videos from the family outing on Instagram.
In one clip, Bianka and Natalia belted along to Swift’s “Cruel Summer.”
“Had to post this cute video — it’s Bianka’s missing 2 front teeth for me,” the mom of four wrote in the caption.
Vanessa Bryant also posted the moment Swift walked to the end of the stage and gave Bianka her hat before embracing her.
“So special. 💕💕Bianka & @taylorswift,” the businesswoman said.
Bianka showed off the hat in a backstage photo with the Grammy-winner, her mom, Capri and Natalia.
Capri Bryant
Vanessa Bryant shared photos of her two youngest daughters on Instagram in April 2021, referring to them as her “Lil Mambacitas.”
Bianka wore a No. 24 jersey in black and gold while cruising along in a toy car with Capri, who donned a No. 24 jersey in the Lakers signature purple and gold colors.
That same month, she uploaded another adorable picture of Capri looking off into the distance. Capri appeared to wear pink face paint that matched her T-shirt.
Vanessa Bryant pointed out Capri’s strong family genes in the caption. “It’s the KOBE stare for me~Capri Kobe ❤️ Daddy and Gigi’s twin,” she said.
The family took a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando to celebrate Capri’s 4th birthday in June.
Vanessa Bryant uploaded a slideshow of photos that showed her giving Capri a kiss in front of Cinderella’s Castle. The 4-year-old spun around on the teacup ride in another snap.
In a separate post, Vanessa Bryant uploaded more pictures and wrote, “Happy 4th birthday, Capri!!! We love you so much Koko- Bean!!!!”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
