« It’s been a joy to watch her grow and to be there every day for that process, » Kobe Bryant said of his daughter in the clip.
Vanessa Bryant is paying tribute to her late husband, Kobe Bryant, and 13-year-old daughter Gianna by remembering their shared love of basketball.
In a Instagram post on Thursday, Vanessa, 37, shared a sweet video of Kobe talking about coaching Gianna — who was nicknamed “Gigi” — and the happiness it brought him in sharing his passion for the sport with her.
“She started out playing soccer, which is one of my favorite sports as well,” the former NBA star says in the clip. “But then, when she asked about learning the game of basketball, I started teaching her piece by piece, and she started enjoying it and loving it and now she plays every day.”
“It’s been a joy to watch her grow and to be there every day for that process,” Kobe continues. “Her temperament is a lot like mine. She’s extremely competitive, very fiery, and backs down from no challenge.”
In the clip, the Los Angeles Lakers legend adds that Gianna is “a good mix of me and good mix of her mama, so that makes her even more competitive than I am.”
The tribute comes two months after Kobe and Gianna — along with pilot Ara Zobayan, Sarah and Payton Chester, Christina Mauser, John Altobelli, his wife Keri Altobelli and their daughter, Alyssa Altobelli — passed away in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif. At the time, Kobe was 41.
Almost two hour after sharing the video, Vanessa posted a photo of her with daughter Natalia, 15, posing with a group. In the shot, the mother-daughter duo can be seen showing off the logos on their sweatshirts.
Vanessa is also mom to daughters Bianka, 3, and 9-month-old Capri
