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Vanessa Bryant continues to advocate for her late husband Kobe Bryant and their 13-year-old Gianna Bryant following their tragic deaths in 2020.
As fans of the famous family already know, Gigi was following in her father’s footsteps and was already a promising basketball prospect in her own right. On top of that, Kobe was a huge supporter of women’s sports, constantly attending WNBA games and adovcating for female athletes that don’t always get the attention or respect they deserve.
Now that they’re gone, the Lakers legend and his daughter live on through Vanessa and their three other daughters, Natalia, 19, Bianka, 5, and Capri, 2. In honor of Kobe and Gigi, the mother of four has vowed to keep their legacy alive by fighting for equality in sports.
On Tuesday, February 8, Vanessa recieved the “Be Your Own Champion Award” at an event in Beverly Hills for her leadership through the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation.
“It was important to Kobe, exemplified by Gigi and something that Natalia, Bianka, Capri and I will always fight for,” said Bryant. “That’s why in our camps, the girls and boys run drills together. They play on the same team together.”
The Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation was founded to create a positive impact for underserved child athletes, in honor of Kobe, Gianna, and the seven others who died in the 2020 helicopter crash.
At the event on Tuesday, other women in sports were also honored, including Los Angeles Sparks senior vice president Natalie White, EAG Sports management CEO Denise White and Terri Hines, executive vice president of communications at FOX Sports.