Vanessa Bryant and her daughters© Sarah Stier

Vanessa Bryant and her daughters support Team USA women's basketball at the Olympics

Bryant and her daughters sat next to WNBA legend Dawn Staley


AUGUST 9, 2024 1:34 PM EDT

Vanessa Bryant is one of the biggest supporters of women's sports. Earlier today, Bryant and her daughters Natalia, Bianka, and Capri, attended the Paris Olympics to support Team USA. The group sat in the front row of the women's semifinal basketball match between the USA and Australia, which the US won 85 - 64. 

© PAUL ELLIS

Vanessa Bryant, her daughters, and Dawn Staley

Bryant and her daughters wore the appropriate gear, with Natalia wearing a white polo jacket with red and blue stripes on the shoulder, and Vanessa wearing a blue jacket that read USA and had the American flag stitched on the arm. In between them sat the two littlest members of their family, Bianka, and Capri, who wore blue and white dresses. 

Bryant had one of the best seats in the house, located next to Dawn Staley, the WNBA legend and now coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The photos were shared by various social media outlets, rapidly going viral. "Everyone watches women's sports," read a post shared by USA Basketball on X. The post featured images of the Bryants, Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird, and more. 

Vanessa Bryant's support for women's sports

Followers of Vanessa Bryant's social media know that she takes women's sports very seriously. Bryant is often attending women's sporting events of all sorts, advocating for equal pay and simply being a fan. Recently, the Los Angeles Lakers unveiled a sculpture of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, who both tragically died in an airplane accident in 2020. Bryant attended the event and gave a speech, sharing how important it is for her family to support women's sports. 

“We were faced with the harsh reality that no matter how great Gianna was or could be, no matter how great her daddy taught her how to play, or even if she played exactly like Kobe, she would not have had the same benefits and opportunities that her dad and young men currently have because she’s a girl," said Bryant. "That’s when the challenge to change the perception of women’s sports started in our household."

© PAUL ELLIS

Vanessa Bryant and USA player Napheesa Collier