Gianna and Vanessa Bryant.Photo: Vanessa Bryant/Instagram
Vanessa Bryantis paying tribute to her late daughterGianna Bryanton what would have been her 15th birthday.
“Dear Gianna, Happy 15th Birthday! ❤️😘I love you!” Vanessawrotein a touching message on Saturday, which she shared alongside a throwback shot of the pair smiling while embracing one another.“I miss you everyday! I wish you were here with us. There are no words to express how much I miss you,” she added. “I love you Mamacita!”
Sharing the same photo on her Instagram Stories, Vanessa added the caption, “Mommy, Daddy, Nani, B.B. and Koko love you and miss you so much!”
Kobe Bryant’s sister Sharia Washington also commemorated the day, sharing a series of throwback shots of Gianna, who died in a January 2020 helicopter crash alongside her father and seven others.
“Happy 15th birthday Gigi❤️ You inspire us to do better and be better everyday. We love you and we miss you!” shewrotein the tribute.
Recently, Vanessa — who is also mother toNatalia, 18, Bianka, 4, and 22-month-old Capri —relaunched Kobe’s charitable non-profit asMamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, a nod to the father-daughter duo, to help empower young girls and provide equal opportunities to underserved athletes. It is a goal Kobe long championed.
Vanessa and Gianna Bryant.Stefanie Keenan/Getty; Allen Berezovsky/Getty
On Saturday, Vanessa spoke more about the collection in honor of Gianna. “When I thought about who would help me capture her laid back yet girly-edge, I thought of female-owned @DANNIJO. Two fun-loving sisters running a successful clothing line, they jumped on the opportunity to celebrate Gigi’s birthday with us, completely pro-bono. I am so proud of the limited-edition MAMBACITA x DANNIJO tie-dye sweat set capsule collection, which celebrates Gigi’s spirit in every little detail – even the placement of #PlayGigisWay on the right arm of each hoodie– her shooting arm 🏀 But what Gigi would love most about the Collection is that 100% of the proceeds will support the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, which is dedicated to creating positive impact for underserved athletes and young women in sports,” Vanessa explained.
As she previously announced the news, Vanessa shared aseries of photosthat showed her and her daughters wearing the new collection. “In honor of my Gigi’s 15th Birthday,” she captioned one snap.
Vanessa recently spoke to PEOPLE about the grief she is enduring following the loss of her husband and daughter.
“I can’t say that I’m strong every day,” she told PEOPLE in March. “I can’t say that there aren’t days when I feel like I can’t survive to the next.”
Allen Berezovsky/Getty
“This pain is unimaginable [but] you just have to get up and push forward,” Vanessa added. “Lying in bed crying isn’t going to change the fact that my family will never be the same again. But getting out of bed and pushing forward is going to make the day better for my girls and for me. So that’s what I do.”
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Vanessa also shared a picture of herwearing a red braceletwith “Gigi Bryant” and “Mambacita” written in white. She explained that Gianna loved to wear a red bow in her school pictures.
“I miss you so much everyday,” she said at the time. “I wish I could wake up and have you here with me. I miss your smile, your hugs and your giggles. I miss EVERYTHING about YOU, Gigi. I LOVE YOU so much!!!!!!!”
“Happy 14th Birthday Gigi!” she wrote. “I miss your smile everyday but I know you’re always smiling down on us from heaven with daddy.I LOVE YOU.”
source: people.com
