Vanessa Bryant Posts Sweet Birthday Message For Gigi: ‘You Are Part Of My Soul Forever’
Vanessa Bryant took to her Instagram page to celebrate Gianna “Gigi” Maria-Onore Bryant on what would’ve been her 14th birthday.
The world stopped on Sunday, January 26 when NBA legend Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash. As more news about the crash began to surface, it was revealed Gigi was also on the plane with her dad. They were on their way to Gigi’s basketball game at Kobe’s Mamba Academy when the accident occurred. Gigi and Kobe, as well as seven other victims, were killed on sight.
Since losing both Kobe and Gigi, Vanessa has kept their legacies alive through social media. To honor her daughter, Vanessa posted a photo of Gianna at the Disney pop-up show she attended with her parents in September 2019. She was photographed sitting on a colorful chair and had her legs crossed and arms in the air. Gigi also went with the event’s theme and had on Mickey Mouse red leggings, a matching shirt, a denim jacket, and a Mickey Mouse-ear headband. As she sat in front of a bevy of Disney-themed stencil art, Gigi beamed a huge smile for the camera.
In addition to posting the adorable photo, Vanessa also left a sweet message to her daughter. Vanessa shared how much she misses Gigi and wishes she could be with her on her special day.
“Happy 14th Birthday to my sweet baby girl, Gianna,” Vanessa wrote. “Mommy loves you more than I can ever show you. You are part of MY SOUL forever. I miss you so much every day. I wish I could wake up and have you here with me. I miss your smile, your hugs and your giggles. I miss EVERYTHING about YOU, Gigi. I LOVE YOU so much!!!!!!!”
Vanessa ended the post with several emoji, including hearts, a party horn, and a birthday cake. Shortly after publishing her loving words, Vanessa received more than 800,000 likes from her Instagram followers. Gigi also received a plethora of birthday wishes and heart emoji from Vanessa’s supporters.
Kobe and Vanessa welcomed Gianna into the world on May 1, 2006. She was the middle child of their four daughters — Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 9 months. At the time of her passing, Gigi had ambitions of following in her father’s legendary footsteps. Under Kobe’s coaching, she was actively pursuing a career in the WNBA. She had already committed to attending the University of Connecticut (UConn) once she graduated from high school because she was a major fan of their basketball team. Gigi’s passion for the sport was something Kobe credited for bringing him back to basketball. Prior to teaching his daughter, he admitted he wasn’t interested in basketball as much after his 2016 retirement from the game.
