On Monday, Vanessa Bryant gave remarks to a packed arena about her late husband, NBA legend Kobe Bryant, and 13-year-old daughter Gianna, both of whom perished in a helicopter crash in January while headed to Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks for a basketball tournament.
An emotional Vanessa received a rousing standing ovation when she stepped up to speak about Kobe and GiGi at a public memorial service in downtown Los Angeles at the Staples Center.
WATCH:
Vanessa Bryant gets a standing ovation at #KobeFarewell pic.twitter.com/rBOtbbdaZC
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) February 24, 2020
Vanessa recalled of young Gigi, “She was daddy’s girl but I know she loved her mama. She was one of my very best friends.”
“God knew they couldn’t be on this Earth without each other,” Vanessa said of her late husband and daughter. “He had to bring them home to have them together.”
“Babe, you take care of our Gigi,” the mother said, adding that she’ll take care of their other daughters. “We’re still the best team. We love and miss you, boo boo and Gigi.”
“May you both rest in peace and have fun in heaven, until we meet again one day,” she closed. “We love you both and miss you, forever and always.”
WATCH:
Vanessa Bryant speaks about her daughter, Gigi.
(via @NBATV)pic.twitter.com/eXmWvfXSxE
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 24, 2020
Here’s Vanessa’s full Instagram post addressing the tragic deaths of her husband and daughter, posted in January:
My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time. Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them. We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.
We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately.
There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon.
I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them. But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless — and that’s to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever.
Thank you for sharing your joy, your grief and your support with us. We ask that you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality.
To honor our Team Mamba family, the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund to help support the other families affected by this tragedy. To donate, please go to MambaOnThree.org.
To further Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports, please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org.
Thank you so much for lifting us up in your prayers, and for loving Kobe, Gigi, Natalia, Bianka, Capri and me