Vanessa Bryant is cherishing the memories of her beloved family members. Six years after the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of her husband, Kobe Bryant, and their daughter, Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, on January 26th, 2020, the businesswoman shared a poignant tribute to honor their legacies.
Indeed, Vanessa—who shares daughters Natalia, 23, Bianka, 9, and Capri, 6, with the late NBA star—posted a heartwarming throwback photo of Kobe embracing Gigi as they both wore Lakers gear on Instagram Stories. Over the sweet father-daughter snapshot, Vanessa simply added a red heart emoji.
The fatal crash occurred when Kobe and 13-year-old Gianna were onboard a Sikorsky S-76B helicopter with seven other individuals, heading from Orange County to his Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California. One year after the tragedy, investigators revealed that the pilot of the helicopter, Ara Zobayan, experienced "spatial disorientation" while flying on a foggy morning, ultimately leading to the loss of control.
Since Kobe and Gigi's heartbreaking deaths, Vanessa has kept their legacy alive by expanding the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, a nonprofit that supports "underserved athletes." In fact, Taylor Swift showed her support for the family by wearing a sweatshirt highlighting the foundation in a scene from her docuseries The End of an Era. "What a gift," Vanessa wrote on her Dec. 31 Instagram Story alongside a screenshot of the clip where Taylor strums a guitar while wearing the blue crewneck. "We love you @taylorswift!!!!!!"
The 43-year-old is no stranger to using social media as a tool to honor Gigi and Kobe. For what would have been the basketball legend's 47th birthday, Vanessa expressed how much she misses her husband and daughter.
"We love and miss you and Gigi so much," Vanessa wrote on Instagram Aug. 23 alongside a throwback photo of her kissing the basketball legend on the cheek. "Sending our love to you. Happy birthday, baby."
Just one month prior, the philanthropist also shared how her youngest daughter is following in Kobe's athletic footsteps. "Like father, like daughter," Vanessa wrote on her July 24 Instagram post, which captured a split image of Kobe and Capri—whose middle name is a nod to her dad—emulating the former Lakers player's stance while holding a basketball. And if her near-identical pose wasn't enough proof, Vanessa also referred to her kiddo as "Baby Mamba" and her nickname "KoKo Bean."
