Vanessa Bryant is remembering her late daughter, Gianna Bryant, on her birthday.
Vanessa Bryant is remembering her late daughter, Gianna Bryant, on her birthday.
Gianna tragically died in January alongside her father, Kobe Bryant, and seven other victims in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. She was 13 years old. On Friday, Vanessa took to Instragram with a special message for Gianna on what would have been her 14th birthday.
"Happy 14th Birthday to my sweet baby girl, Gianna," Vanessa captioned a pic of a smiling Gianna. "Mommy loves you more than I can ever show you. You are part of MY SOUL forever. I miss you so much everyday. I wish I could wake up and have you here with me. I miss your smile, your hugs and your giggles. I miss EVERYTHING about YOU, Gigi. I LOVE YOU so much!!!!!!! ❤️???❤️."
Earlier this month, 37-year-old Vanessa shared a picture of Gianna smiling while wearing her number 2 jersey on the basketball court, as the WNBA honored Gianna and two other victims of the helicopter crash -- Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester -- by selecting them as honorary draft picks during the WNBA draft.
"I'm so proud of you, Gigi," Vanessa wrote. "God I miss you baby. You deserved to live a long, healthy and happy life. I wish I could hold you and tell you how proud I am of you. You're the best, baby girl. Mommy loves and misses you more than I could ever express. ❤️ @WNBA #2 Gianna 'Gigi' Bryant Youngest draft pick ❤️?My 'mambacita' a.k.a. Wings."
Meanwhile, Vanessa continues to mourn the devastating loss of both Kobe and Gianna as she stays strong for daughters Natalia, Bianka and Capri. On April 18, she celebrated what would have been her 19th wedding anniversary with Kobe.
"My king, my heart, my best friend," she Instagrammed alongside a sweet picture of the NBA legend kissing her on the cheek. "Happy 19th wedding anniversary baby. I miss you so much. I wish you were here to hold me in your arms. I love you. ❤️."
ET recently spoke with fellow basketball great Magic Johnson, who said that Kobe will appear in upcoming episodes of ESPN's epic Michael Jordan documentary series, The Last Dance. He also gave an update on how Vanessa and her daughters are doing.
"They are living their life, they are having a good time, and I think Kobe would have wanted that, for them to go on, live a great life and just enjoy yourself," he said. "Vanessa's the reason for that, and I think she's got a great village around her, people around her to give her that support."
Watch the video below for more:
RELATED CONTENT:
