On Sunday, January 26th, the world was shocked and devastated to learn that NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gigi had died in a tragic helicopter accident that claimed the lives of nine people in Los Angeles.
After news of the accident broke, Vanessa, Kobe’s wife of 19 years, initially set her Instagram page to private.
On Wednesday, she made her page public again, and although at the time she didn’t share a post, she did make one heartbreaking change to her page.
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Vanessa updated her icon to this beautiful photograph of Kobe and Gigi.
The shot shows the two embracing while wearing matching red jerseys. Underneath Kobe’s arm is a basketball.
Gigi was an accomplished basketball player in her own right, and was part of a team that Kobe was coaching.
Vanessa has now broken her silence with a heartbreaking Instagram post.
“My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time,” Vanessa wrote, referring to the couple’s three other daughters, Natalia (17), Bianka (3), and Capri (7 months).
“Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them.”
“We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.”
“We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately.”
“There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives.”
“I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon.”
“I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them. But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. “
“Our love for them is endless — and that’s to say, immeasurable.”
“I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever.,” Vanessa wrote. “Thank you for sharing your joy, your grief and your support with us. We ask that you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality.”
Vanessa then explained that a fund has been created to help the families affected by this tragedy.
“To honor our Team Mamba family, the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund to help support the other families affected by this tragedy. To donate, please go to MambaOnThree.org. To further Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports, please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org.”
“Thank you so much for lifting us up in your prayers, and for loving Kobe, Gigi, Natalia, Bianka, Capri and me,” the post ended.
Vanessa rounded off the post with the hashtags #Mamba, #Mambacita, #GirlsDad, #DaddysGirls, and #Family.
Our thoughts are with the Bryant family and all families affected by this tragedy.
Friends and fans alike have been responding to Vanessa’s post with messages of love and support.
Beyoncé shared a photograph of Gigi and a shot of Gigi with her dad to her own Instagram , writing, “I will continue to diligently pray for your Queens. You are deeply missed beloved Kobe.”
Kobe’s longtime teammate and friend Shaquille O’Neal also shared a touching post.
“There are no words to express the pain I’m going through now with this tragic and sad moment of loosing my neice Gigi & my friend, my brother, my partner in winning championships, my dude and my homie. I love you and you will be missed,” Shaq wrote .
“My heart goes to Vanessa and the kids,” shared longtime friend LeBron James.
“Please give me the strength from the heavens above and watch over me! I got US here! There’s so much more I want to say but just can’t right now because I can’t get through it,” he wrote .
