Vanessa Bryant Shares Heart-Wrenching Birthday Tribute to Late Daughter Gianna: ‘2024 Was Your Year'
Vanessa Bryant must be grieving the loss of her daughter even more today. Her second daughter would have turned 18 today, but her life was tragically cut short at just 13 years old when she and her father Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash that killed seven other people. On what must be such a dark day in her household, Vanessa somehow found the strength to post a gut-wrenching birthday tribute to Gianna “Gigi” Bryant that is as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking.
The philanthropist posted a video on Instagram with photos and footage of her late daughter set to “My Girl” by The Temptations.
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“Happy birthday to my gorgeous girl, Gigi! I love you. I miss you. I’m so proud of you,” Vanessa started her caption.
The compilation — which includes photos and footage of Gigi with Vanessa, Kobe, and her sisters Natalia, Bianka, and Capri — shows off how talented a basketball player Gigi was, following in the footsteps of her dad, who was posthumously inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame. It also shows the sweetest clips of their special father-daughter bond. There are videos of their hugs, kisses, and special handshakes — and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t cry watching it.
“2024 was your year,” Vanessa continued. “You would’ve been graduating high school and choosing which college to go to. ( I would’ve been trying my hardest to convince you to stay close to home).”
We bet Kobe would have been trying to do the same, and we’re sure colleges across the country would have been racing to recruit her!
“I’m proud of the change in sports you and daddy worked so hard on,” she said. “You continue to motivate me and inspire young women and girls daily. I love you always, mommy.”
Followers flooded the post with well wishes for Gigi and Vanessa:
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIGI!!??”
“Happy birthday Gigi. So much love to you and your family ????”
“[Gigi’s] smile and joy for the game continues to pave the way for so many??????”
“She truly changed the game. Happy birthday to our inspiration and forever beam of light ??”
And now I’m crying again. It’s hard not to when you think about the unfathomable tragedy that happened to the Bryant family and all the things Gigi should be doing right now. She should be shopping for a prom dress and ordering her cap and gown. She should be practicing her free throws and coming up with new handshakes with her dad. She should be buying lotto tickets and registering to vote and doing all the other things 18-year-olds do to mark the momentous day. After all, 2024 was her year.
These stars have vulnerably shared their experiences with grieving the loss of a child.
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