Vanessa Bryant Remembers Late Daughter Gigi on What Would've Been Her 17th Birthday
Vanessa Bryant is paying tribute to her late daughter. On Monday, Kobe Bryant's widow took to Instagram to remember Gianna "Gigi" Bryant on what would've been her 17th birthday. Kobe and Gigi died in a January 2020 helicopter crash, when the NBA legend was 41 and his daughter was 13.
In her first post, Vanessa shared a photo of Gigi smiling as she rode a carousel. "Happy 17th birthday, baby girl," Vanessa wrote. "I love you and miss you so much, sweet Angel."
Birthday wishes poured in from celebrities in the comments section, with Ciara, Taraji P. Henson, Khloe Kardashian and Kathy Hilton among those who sent their love to the late teen.
Vanessa also shared a pic of Gigi with two of her sisters, Natalia and Bianka, who are now 20 and 6, respectively. Vanessa and Kobe also share Capri, 3.
"Happy birthday, sweet Gigi!" she wrote. "We love you to the moon and back infinity +1. Forever & Always."
The proud mom additionally shared a video in honor of Gigi's legacy. The video featured WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu, one of Gigi's best friends and teammates, Aubrey Callaghan, NBA alum Pau Gasol and others sharing what it means to play basketball "Gigi's way."
Participants pointed out Gigi's love for basketball, her dedication to the game, and her desire to be the best player and person.
Natalia also remembered her late sister, sharing two pics of them together on her Instagram page.
"Happy 17th Birthday Sweet Gigi. I love you forever and always," she wrote, before quoting ABBA's "Dancing Queen" by writing, "You are the Dancing Queen, Young & Sweet, Only Seventeen."
Gigi's 17th birthday comes more than two months after Vanessa reached a settlement with Los Angeles County over the sharing of graphic photos of the helicopter crash that killed her husband and daughter.
At the time, Vanessa's lawyer, Luis Li, told ET that Los Angeles County agreed to pay Vanessa and her three daughters more than $28 million to settle the lawsuit. In a statement, Mira Hashmall, lead trial counsel for L.A. County in the Bryant-Chester case, called the settlement "fair and reasonable."
Watch the video below for more on the Bryant family.
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