'Love you always': Vanessa and Natalia Bryant wish late Gigi Bryant happy birthday
Vanessa Bryant and her daughter Natalia Bryant took to their Instagram to celebrate what would have been a milestone in Gianna (better known as Gigi) Bryant's life. Gigi was born on May 1, 2006, which made Sunday, May 1, 2022 her 16th birthday. The mother-daughter duo shared the love by posting different posts on the social media platform.
Vanessa shared a video that looked to similar to her late husband, Kobe Bryant's award-winning short cartoon film titled, 'Dear Basketball'. Vanessa has narrated this video that features sketches of her late daughter and her undying passion for the sport.
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It begins, "Dear Gianna, from the first time you imagined winning a WNBA championship, I knew one thing was real — you were special. You came from greatness, but it was never about what you inherited. It was about what you gave to others." in the voiceover. The mother, 39 continued, "When someone stands up for gender equality, I see you standing up alongside them. And every time someone plays her hardest, I know that's you on the court. Love you always, basketball." This post was captioned, "Love you always! Happy Birthday, Gianna. 😘❤️🥰 #Mambacita #2 ❤️❤️."
Vanessa also shared another series of posts with clips of Gigi scoring a point. In one of her latest posts, people are seen braking at the highway to capture the Bryants' visuals off a screen. Moreover, she has also shared images of a billboard at the 34th Street and 7th Avenue in Manhattan, New York. Finally, she shared the tribute Pearson Park has for Gianna.
On the other hand, Natalia, 19, shared a throwback image of her and her late sister where both are quite young. Natalia is seen kissing Gigi on her cheek where Gigi is grinning from ear to ear. This adorable image has an even adorable caption that reads, "happy sweet sixteen my dearest gigi♥️I love you to the moon and back 🌙forever & always."
Additionally, around two weeks ago on April 18, Vanessa also shared images of her and her late husband, the NBA star Kobe Bryant marking the day that would have been their 21st wedding anniversary. The image shows Vanessa lovingly wrapping her arms around Kobe with a touching caption. "I love you forever, baby. Happy Anniversary @kobebryant#21 ❤️❤️."
It has been more than two years since Gigi and her father Kobe died in a helicopter crash in California. At the time, Gigi was less than four months away from her 14th birthday. The month prior, Vanessa and Nike renewed their partnership in honor of Kobe and Gigi. At the time, Vanessa said she is "so proud that my husband's shoes are still the most worn by players on NBA courts and that the demand for his shoes remain so desired by his fans around the world."