Two years after the deaths of Kobe Bryant and their daughter, Gianna, Vanessa Bryant is committed to uplifting girls in their honor.
Vanessa Bryant is paving the way for girls to dominate. After all, it's what Kobe Bryant would have wanted.
Inside the Sports Power Brunch on Tuesday, hosted at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, Vanessa took the stage to accept the Be Your Own Champion Award. Dressed in a vibrant, flowing pink dress, there was no missing the famous mom as she delivered a touching speech highlighting the power of young women.
"As the mother of four strong girls, I care deeply about not only leveling the playing field for girls," she said, "but elevating it."
Referencing the inaugural Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation Skills Academy, Vanessa, who serves as the organization's chairman and president, said, "That’s why in our camps, the girls and boys run drills together, play on the same team together and this enables them to feel confident competing against each other during games and scrimmages."
Vanessa made it clear that empowering young women and uniting them with boys is at the core of her goals. "I want to instill in our young people that girls are just as good as boys and oftentimes better," she said. "I think it's important to elevate the way both girls and boys view each other as teammates versus competitors at a young age."
She explained, "If they're taught how to share common goals and compete together to achieve them, then those skills will not only help them grow as children, but it will also help them grow in business and future relationships as adults."
As Vanessa concluded her speech, she reflected on the legacy of her late husband and daughter, Gianna, 13, who were tragically killed in a helicopter crash in 2020. "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," she said. "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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