Vanessa – widow of the late five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant, has marked the couple’s wedding anniversary in a very emotional way, barely three months after the tragic death of the basketball star and his 13 year old daughter, Gianna, Completesports.com reports.
It can be recalled Kobe and Gianna [Gigi] Bryant, as well as nine other people died in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles on January 26
Vanessa marked the 19th anniversary of her wedding to the late Kobe Bryant on Saturday April 18, with an emotional tribute to her departed husband on Instagram which attracted an outpouring of sympathy and comments from well-wishers .
“My king, my heart, my best friend. Happy 19th wedding anniversary. I miss you so much. I wish you were here to hold me in your arms. I love you,” Vanessa’s Instagram post read, with a fun picture taken with Kobe.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_ITucyDzf2/?igshid=p3r6hz8wsag
Few hours later on Saturday, the widow posted two photos showing flowers with the description: ” Anniversary flowers from my Kobe. Thank you @nataliabryant
#GiannaBryant # BiankaBryant #CapriBryant @jeffleatham @catmcdonnell7 @paugasol.”
Prior to her 19th Wedding Anniversary posts on Instagram, Vanessa Bryant had on Friday paid tributes to her late daughter, Gianna, who was posthumously honored at Friday’s Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) draft, alongside her basketball teammates Payton Chester and Alyssa Altobelli, who also died in the crash.
“I’m so proud of you, Gigi. God/miss you baby. You deserved to live a long,/healthy and happy life. I wish I could hold you and tell you how proud I am of you. You’re the best, baby girl. Mommy loves and misses you more than I could ever express. @WNBA
# 2 Gianna “Gigi” Bryant Youngest draft pick. My “mambacita” a.k.a. Wings,” the Instagram post reads.
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Vanessa Bryant made available to the WNBA, an emotion-laden message for the draft broadcast, that a draft into women’s league “would have been a dream come true” for for her daughter.
The WNBA also announced the creation of the Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award.
According to the US women’s basketball governing body, Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award is such given to “an individual or group who has made significant contributions to the visibility, perception and advancement of women’s and girls’ basketball at all levels.”
