Vanessa Bryant posted a photo of her daughter Gianna on Instagram on Friday, on what would have been Gianna’s 20th birthday.
“Happy birthday to my sweet baby angel Gianna,” Vanessa wrote in the post. “Mamacita, words cannot express how much I love and miss you. Mama loves you so much!”
Gianna Bryant died in a helicopter crash six years ago along with eight other passengers, including her father Kobe Bryant.
The accident occurred on the way to the Mamba Sports Academy in Newbury Park, California, where Kobe Bryant was scheduled to coach his daughter’s team.
Vanessa Bryant’s post received comments with heart emojis from basketball players including Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu.
Other celebrities including Olivia Munn, Ciara and Kelly Rowland also left comments of support.
Kobe and Gianna will be honored with a statue in front of Crypto.com Arena, which will be unveiled in August 2024.
Vanessa Bryant established the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation in memory of Kobe and Gianna. In honor of Gianna’s birthday, the nonprofit organization announced scholarship recipients made up of 20 student-athletes from Los Angeles and Orange County.
