Gianna Bryant Was A Star Basketball Player, Just Like Her Dad

Gianna Bryant died alongside her father, Kobe Bryant, and seven others in a helicopter crash on January 26. The 13-year-old was just starting to lay the foundation of what seemed to be a promising basketball legacy of her very own.

Like her father, Gianna was preparing herself to be a force in the basketball world. The second daughter of Kobe and his wife, Vanessa Bryant, was already one to watch, and she was predicted to take the WNBA to the next level.

Gianna Knew She Wanted To Play Basketball From A Young Age

Gianna Maria Onore Bryant was born on May 1, 2006, and basketball had an influence on GiGi’s life starting at a very young age. She and her older sister, Natalia Bryant, were often seen with their mother, cheering Kobe on during his basketball career.

After the NBA star retired from the game in 2016, he devoted his time to helping GiGi hone her craft once he realized she had an interest. She began playing for her dad’s Mamba Academy, which he named after his famous NBA moniker. It was there that GiGi was thriving and was making a name for herself in women’s basketball.

At the time of her death, GiGi, Kobe, and the other seven passengers were headed to a basketball game at Mamba Academy.

“Gigi was really turning into a special player,” said Russ Davis, the women’s basketball coach at Vanguard University in Southern California, and someone who became close with Bryant in recent years, per the NBA site. “It’s hard to predict her future, but with the way she was improving and the way she understood the game, she was going to have a bright one.”

Gianna & Kobe Bonded Over Their Mutual Love Of Basketball & Her Nickname Was ‘Mambacita’

Gianna’s passion for basketball further brought she and Kobe closer. In fact, Kobe once shared that while his daughter initially enjoyed soccer, he was excited when she began to ask him to teach her the game of basketball. The father-daughter duo were often spotted courtside at basketball games, where Kobe was seen explaining certain elements of the game to his baby girl.

Kobe had also once said that his daughter was “something else” when she was on the court. He even told Jimmy Kimmel that GiGi was more than willing to take on the family’s sports legacy.

“The best thing that happens is when we go out and fans would come up to me and she’ll be standing next to me and they’ll be like, ‘You’ve gotta have a boy, you and V gotta have a boy. You gotta have somebody to carry on your tradition, the legacy. She’s like, ‘I got this.’ I’m like, ‘that’s right. Yes, you do, you got this,'” he told Kimmel.

GiGi’s determination to follow in her father’s footsteps earned the young prodigy her own nickname, which was popularized on social media. She was nicknamed “Mambacita” to pair with her dad’s nickname, the Black Mamba, which Kobe gave to himself back in 2003.

Shortly after their tragic deaths, Vanessa shared on Instagram that Kobe’s foundation, the Mamba foundation, would now be called the Mamba and Mambacita Foundation in honor of Kobe and GiGi.

Gianna Wanted To Play Basketball At UConn

In addition to knowing what she wanted to do for a living at a young age, GiGi also knew what college she wanted to attend. She shared her aspirations to play basketball for the University of Connecticut before following her dreams straight through to the WNBA.

She and her dad were often seen at UConn basketball games. What drove Gianna’s motivation to attend UConn was the fact that many of her favorite WNBA players had ties to the school. For example, Gabby Williams of the Chicago Sky was one of GiGi’s favorite players, and she had played at the school. Williams had become close with the Bryant family and was in awe of GiGi’s potential, NBA reports.

“From what I saw, she was going to be heaps better than me. She had the right mentality, so confident, relentless, so mean and aggressive. And then (she would) walk off the court with the biggest, sweetest smile on her face,” Williams said in an interview.

“But my favorite part about her was just seeing how much she loved the game and loved to learn. It’s intimidating to have to follow in those footsteps,” Williams added, “but she really embraced it.”

Gianna was recently remembered by her teammates and classmates at her school, where her No. 2 jersey was retired.