LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Vanessa Bryant, the wife of NBA Legend, Kobe Bryant, has posted for the first time since losing her husband and daughter, Gianna Bryant, in a helicopter crash that claimed the lives of nine people in Calabasas, California Sunday morning.
Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old were on their way to a basketball tournament when the helicopter they were in went down, leaving no survivors.
The NBA and the world were stunned at the news, sending thoughts and prayers to all the families impacted by the crash.
In an Instagram post, Vanessa thanked people for the outpouring of support.
View this post on Instagram
My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time. Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them. We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately. There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon. I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them. But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless — and that’s to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever. Thank you for sharing your joy, your grief and your support with us. We ask that you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality. To honor our Team Mamba family, the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund to help support the other families affected by this tragedy. To donate, please go to MambaOnThree.org. To further Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports, please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org. Thank you so much for lifting us up in your prayers, and for loving Kobe, Gigi, Natalia, Bianka, Capri and me. #Mamba #Mambacita #GirlsDad #DaddysGirls #Family ❤️
A post shared by Vanessa Bryant 🦋 (@vanessabryant) on Jan 29, 2020 at 4:59pm PST
In a viral video, ESPN’s Elle Duncan recalls her one and only interaction with the Lakers’ star. Duncan met Bryant when she was several months pregnant and Bryant went up and immediately asked about what she was having, exclaiming “girls are the best!”
Bryant would then rave about girls and his daughters saying he loved being a “Girl Dad.” The hashtag #GirlDad began to trend all over social media where fathers would show their pride in raising girls.
