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There was not a single dry eye when Vanessa Bryant took to the stage during the memorial celebration for her late husband and daughter, Kobe and Gianna Bryant . The mamá-of-four gave an emotional speech commemorating both her daughter and her husband. She started off by remembering Gigi and sharing how her 13-year-old daughter was “an amazingly sweet and gentle soul.” After she that, she went on to honor her “sweet husband and the beautiful father of our children” and revealed how he “was truly the romantic one in our relationship.”
She shared, “I looked forward to Valentine's Day and our anniversaries every year. He planned special anniversary trips and a special traditional gift for every year of our marriage. He even handmade my most treasured gifts. He just thought outside the box and was so thoughtful even while working hard to be the best athlete. He gifted me the actual notebook and the blue dress Rachel McAdams wore in The Notebook movie.”
Vanessa continued, “When I asked him why he chose the blue dress, he said it was because the scene when Ali comes back to Noah. We had hopes to grow old together, like the movie. We really had an amazing love story. We loved each other with our whole beings, two perfectly imperfect people making a beautiful family and raising our sweet and amazing girls.”
The Latina also revealed how Kobe wanted them to renew their marriage vows and how he loved movies — specifically tearjerkers like Stepmom, Steel Magnolias and Little Women. Vanessa explained how he was always attentive to her and the relationship, stating that he would always ask for here whereabouts if he didn’t see her during the first quarter of any of his NBA games. Gianna’s proud mamá also revealed how Kobe would write the best love letters.
His best friend Rob Pelinka also referenced Kobe’s love for Vanessa (the his love letters), sharing how Kobe would always tell him all of the plans he would make for Vanessa and how he would “write poems and letters to her and make them into beautiful keepsake books” for his wife. “Kobe’s love for Vanessa was the energy of his life,” Rob explained.