Former basketball star Kobe Bryant sadly passed away in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on Sunday. He was 41. Among the nine casualties in the unfortunate incident was his 13-year-old daughter Gianna ‘Gigi’ Bryant.
According to NBC News, the father and daughter, alongside other passengers, were en route to a training session at his Mamba Sports Academy at Thousand Oaks.
An avid lover of the game with the dream of emulating her father as a professional basketball player, Gigi’s potential and talent at such a very young age was highly commendable, so much so that her father was so proud of her.
When asked if his daughter may want to play in the WNBA on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2018, the five-time NBA champion proudly gave the affirmative.
“She does for sure,” he said.
“This kid, man,” he continued. “That best thing that happens is, when we go out, and fans will come out to me and she’ll be standing next to me and they’ll be like, ‘You gotta have a boy, you and V gotta have a boy, man. You gotta have somebody carry on your tradition, the legacy.”
“She’s like ‘oi, I got this’.”
A great husband, father and family man in general, join Nsuri as we spotlight his adorable bond with his daughter. Rest in peace Kobe and Gigi!
this will forever be a lasting memory of Kobe and Gigi ❤️ pic.twitter.com/INReeVq7GT
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) January 26, 2020
Just heart breaking ? RIP Kobe Bryant and Gigi Bryant#RIPMamba | #MambaOut
— Sports ON Tap Brothers?️ (@thesportsontap) January 27, 2020