Gianna and Kobe Bryant tragically died in a helicopter crash in January 2020.
Vanessa Bryant is honoring her late daughter, Gianna "Gigi" Bryant, on what would have been a milestone birthday for her.
Gigi tragically died in a helicopter crash in January 2020 alongside her basketball star father, Kobe Bryant. She was just 13 at the time of her death.
On Wednesday, Vanessa took to Instagram to pay tribute to Gigi with a touching montage video of special moments throughout her life and basketball career.
"Happy birthday to my gorgeous girl, Gigi! I love you. I miss you. I'm so proud of you," the mother of four wrote. "2024 was your year. You would've been graduating high school and choosing which college to go to. (I would've been trying my hardest to convince you to stay close to home)."
Gigi, who was already a breakout star in girls basketball prior to her death, was on track to play basketball professionally, following in the footsteps of her famous father.
"I'm proud of the change in sports you and daddy worked so hard on. You continue to motivate me and inspire young women and girls daily. I love you always, mommy. ❤️ #PlayGigisWay #Mambacita Forever. #18. ❤️♉️," Vanessa concluded her tribute.
In the throwback clips, Gigi is seen playing basketball, goofing off with her sisters -- Natalia, now 21, Bianka, now 7, and Capri, now 4 -- and doing secret handshakes with her parents.
Since the shocking deaths of Kobe, Gigi, and the other passengers on board the helicopter, Vanessa and her daughters have continued to honor their late family members.
In 2022, Gigi's older sister, Natalia, spoke with ET about where she and her mother have found their strength.
"Honestly, [we've] learned the most just from each other," she told ET at the time. "Being able to rely on each other and be there for each other has been the biggest inspiration."
In the February issue of Town & Country, Natalia shared that she planned to continue the legacy of her father and sister.
"In terms of legacy my main goal is just to be the best version of me that I possibly can and understanding that there's no expectation that I should have for each stage of life," she told the magazine.
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