Vanessa Bryant Remembers Kobe As Her Best Friend, ‘Miss You So Much’
The world continues to mourn the tragic sudden loss of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and the seven other people who were with them in the fatal helicopter accident January 26. On Monday, the massive memorial to the victims outside the Staples Center was taken down, but Vanessa Bryant continues to honor her late husband with touching Instagram tributes.
Prior to the tragedy, Bryant had her Instagram set to private but has now made it public and has seen her following skyrocket to over 10 million followers. Her most recent post is an ode to her late husband.
It’s a photo of Kobe flashing his signature smile to the camera with his hand propped against his face and a finger to his temple. What makes the photo even more touching – besides being a lovely photo of the Lakers legend – is what he’s wearing.
The five-time NBA Champion has on a white sweater emblazoned with the Mamba Sports Academy logo. This emblem features the letter “M” surrounded by a circle with a snake wrapped around it.
This holds special significance because the academy is where Gianna and her teammates trained, and it is where the nine passengers were headed the day of the fateful helicopter crash.
Bryant added some touching hashtags in the caption, calling the 41-year-old a “#lovinghusband” and “#theBestdaddy.” Perhaps the most moving is when she included “#mybestfriend.”
Her caption also referenced how much she missed him and missed hearing him call her by Italian pet names.
The 37-year-old mother has received massive support from fans during this most trying time. Every online post has been met with thousands of sympathetic comments, and this one was no different.
“You are the strongest!” one person commented.
“Love you Vanessa – stay strong” wrote another.
“Praying for you and your family,” said another follower.
Among the well-wishers was Carmelo Anthony’s wife, LaLa.
“Love you V. Always and forever,” she wrote along with praying hands and a heart emoji.
Anthony was not the only one to use those emoji as the comments were flooded with them.
After making her Instagram account public, Bryant used the platform to issue a statement along with a family photo that included herself, Kobe, Gianna, and their daughters Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.
The statement said how grateful Bryant and her daughters were for the “support and love during this horrific time.” She also mentioned setting up the MambaOnThree Fund to raise funds for the other families who lost loved ones in the crash.
