Vanessa shared a photo in front of the new mural, done in the late Laker legend's hometown.
Vanessa Bryant is ensuring that her late husband's legacy lives on. Vanessa took to Instagram Tuesday to share photos of herself posed in front of new mural of Kobe Bryant and their daughter, Gianna Bryant, located in the late Laker legend's hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The mural, done in the Tustin Playground is the latest Kobe and Gianna-dedicated basketball court to open in partnership with Dream Courts, Nancy Lieberman Charities and Vanessa's Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, in an effort to make basketball more accessible to kids, as well as to provide a safe environment for kids to play.
"📍PHILADELPHIA📍where my husband’s love for basketball all began. Today, in the historic Tustin Playground and thanks to the generous contributions of donors, fans, and friends, our foundation @mambamambacitasports opened ✨2✨more @dream_courts with @nlcharities, which were beautifully surrounded by the artwork of @Art_by_Ernel. I chose this location so that young people in this community may have a safe space to play with equal opportunity which was important to Kobe and Gianna," Vanessa, who was pictured wearing Kobe's high school varsity jacket, shared. "We are grateful to the City of Philadelphia, @muralarts for welcoming this project and helping to make it a reality."
Vanessa shared photos and videos from the court's unveiling, which featured several murals of both Kobe and Gianna, as well as their jersey numbers 24, and 2. She also revealed that Kobe used to play at that very court as a kid.
Done in the Laker's signature purple and yellow, the court featured both Kobe and Gianna's names at the center, with a butterfly design surrounding the center court.
Vanessa's daughters, Natalia, 19, Bianka, 5 and Capri, 2, were also in attendance for the special unveiling, as well as Kobe's sister, Sharia Washington.
Kobe and his daughter, along with seven others, died on Jan 26, 2020, after a helicopter they were riding in crashed on the way to a basketball tournament. In the years since the accident, Vanessa has been working to make sure that her late husband and daughter's mission for equality in sports continues.
In February, while accepting the Be Your Own Champion Award during the Sports Power Brunch, the mother-of-four shared her vow to do just that.
"In everything I do -- whether it’s through the work of our foundation or the storytelling at Granity -- I want to provide young girls with opportunities to showcase their talents and to dominate in their fields," Vanessa said in part of her speech. "It was important to Kobe, it was exemplified by Gigi and it is something for which Natalia, Bianka, Capri and I will always fight for."
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