Vanessa Bryant lost her daughter Gigi and basketball legend Kobe Bryant just a year ago.
And the mother of four shared some special photos of her loved ones on Thursday, celebrating her daughter’s love for the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team.
Vanessa, 38, chose a very touching photo to start the set, sharing the image of a radiant Kobe and Gigi, both wearing red, white and blue T-shirts from UConn.
Memories: Vanessa Bryant shared a poignant photo of the late daughter Gigi and husband Kobe Bryant on Thursday, celebrating their love for the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team just over a year after the pair’s passing.
Another photo showed a small Gigi – full name Gianna – and a longtime Laker with coach Geno Auriemma and his team.
Vanessa thanked the UConn 2021 team for supporting women’s sports on another Instagram that cited a slogan invented by Gigi.
‘When you think you can’t UCONN! ”~ Gianna“ Gigi ”Bryant #Mambacita # 2 ‘she wrote.
‘#playgigisway Thanks @uconnwbb Thanks for donating basketballs to local women’s clubs in honor of my Gigi. @mambamambacitasports. ‘
Gigi was 13 when she died along with her father and seven other people in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020.
Team work! Another photo showed a tiny Gigi – full name Gianna – and a longtime Laker with coach Geno Auriemma and his team
MVPs: Vanessa thanked the UConn 2021 team for supporting women’s sports on another Instagram, writing: ‘When you think you can’t UCONN! ”~ Gianna“ Gigi ”Bryant #Mambacita # 2 #playgigisway Thanks @uconnwbb Thanks for donating basketballs to local women’s clubs in honor of my Gigi. @mambamambacitasports’
She dreamed of going to the University of Connecticut, which has one of the best women’s basketball programs in the country.
Kobe’s wife and Gigi’s mother, Vanessa, also logged on to Instagram to honor their loved ones on Tuesday.
She revealed that she received a beautifully written letter from one of 13-year-old Gianna’s best friends, Aubrey, and wrote the caption: ‘My Gigi is AMAZING and I really appreciate your thoughtful letter.
‘She loves you very much. I miss my little girl and Kob-Kob too. [heart emoji] I will never understand why / how this tragedy could have happened to such beautiful, gentle and incredible human beings.
Strength: Vanessa also used Instagram to pay tribute to her loved ones earlier this week, sharing a touching letter from her daughter’s friend Gianna
Kob, we did it right: Vanessa captioned the letter post with these touching words
With love: Vanessa posted Aubrey’s letter with permission after writing that Gi had changed her life for the better
Lost: a mass of cards, flowers and other souvenirs were placed by fans outside the Los Angeles Staples Center in memory of the basketball legend
In memorian: One year later, fans gathered to pay their respects
‘It still doesn’t look real. Kob, we did it right. Gigi, you still make Mom proud. I love you!’
Sharing the letter on the anniversary of the death of her daughter and husband, Vanessa wrote: ‘Today I received this sweet letter from one of Gianna’s best friends, Aubrey.
‘I love you Aubz (as my Gigi would call you). Thank you very much for beautifully sharing some of your Gigi memories with me and allowing me to share them here on my ig. ‘
Tragic: it happens after Vanessa courageously shared her struggle with the pain before the anniversary of losing Kobe and her other daughter Gianna, who tragically died in a helicopter accident last year on January 26 in California (photos together in 2016)
Kobe met Vanessa in 1999 when she was 17 and worked as a model on a music video. The couple became engaged six months later and married in 2001.
They welcomed their daughters Natalia in 2003, Gianna in 2006, Bianka in 2016 and Capri in 2019.
Kobe and his daughter Gianna, a youth basketball star, were on their way to the Mamba Academy for basketball training when their helicopter crashed around 10 am. The other seven people on board also died tragically.
The pilot – locally called Ara Zobayan – was trying to turn the aircraft around when it crashed into the hills of Las Virgenes Gorge, home to celebrities, including the Kardashians.
Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Kerry and daughter Alyssa were also among the dead.
So sad: before her tragic death, Kobe called Vanessa her “queen” and her daughters “princesses” in a poignant Instagram post to mark 20 years since they met in November 2019