The world could hardly believe it...one of the greatest legends to live in the world of sports had tragically lost his life. Kobe Bryant , the former Los Angeles Lakers superstar, died in a helicopter crash in which his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others also lost their lives.
“Gigi” – as her friends and family members referred to her – had a very special relationship with her father. She was following in her dad’s footsteps within the sport, and little by little, she was creating her own path.
A beautiful family
Aside from being a father to Gigi, Kobe had three other daughters with his wife Vanessa: Natalia, 17, Bianka, three, and seven-month-old Capri. Kobe’s older daughters were interested in the sport, especially Gigi, who wanted to become a legend like her father.
Number One Fan
Since her early childhood, Gigi proved to have a great passion for basketball – she was her daddy’s number one fan!
Early training
Hugs and adorable father-daughter moments were a constant on the court, and little by little Gigi became introduced to the world of basketball. The former NBA player opened his school, the Mamba League, where his sport was taught. His daughter was one of the many students who attended, and within years she became one of the best.
Tras sus pasos
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Kobe shared how his fans insisted that he and Vanessa should have a son so that his basketball legacy could continue. However, he believed on the contrary.
“When we go out and fans will come up to me and she’ll be standing next to me and they’ll be like ‘hey you gotta have a boy, you and V gotta have a boy, man, somebody to carry on the tradition, the legacy,’ and she’s like, ‘Oh no, I got this. You don’t need a boy for that!’”
Supporting his ‘Mambacita’
Although the sports star retired in 2016, he remained interested in the rehearsals, especially his daughter’s, whom he sweetly called Mambacita.
Broken Dreams
According to Kobe, his daughter, who played with the Los Angeles Lady Mamba team, longed to go to the University of Connecticut and dreamed of being part of the women's basketball team.
Meeting the stars
To encourage his daughter’s career in basketball, Kobe took her to meet the stars of the colleges that practiced that sport. In this photo, Kobe and Gianna appear alongside Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon.
Kobe, the proudest father
Gigi's accomplishments captivated her father, who would take to social media to share how proud of her he was.
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