Vanessa Bryant has said her brain refused to accept that her husband, NBA legend Kobe Bryant and 13-year-old daughter, Gianna are deceased.
In an Instagram post Monday, the 37-year-old said, “I can’t process both at the same time. It’s like I’m trying to process Kobe being gone but my body refuses to accept my Gigi will never come back to me.”
“It feels wrong. Why should I be able to wake up another day when my baby girl isn’t being able to have that opportunity?! I’m so mad. She had so much life to live,” she added.
She said despite her raging anger over the loss of the two, she needed to be “strong and be here for my three daughters.”
“Mad I’m not with Kobe and Gigi but thankful I’m here with Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. I know what I’m feeling is normal. It’s part of the grieving process. I just wanted to share in case there’s anyone out there that’s experienced a loss like this.
“God I wish they were here and this nightmare would be over,” she said. “Praying for all of the victims of this horrible tragedy. Please continue to pray for all.”
The death of Bryant last month shook the world to its core. Bryant, 41, died in a helicopter crash in the city of Calabasas, California. Nine people died in the crash that killed Bryant including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and her basketball teammate.
A five-time NBA champion, Bryant played for the LA Lakers through his career spanning two decades.
Bryant’s death triggered the outpouring of grief from world leaders, fellow stars including celebrities.
Bryant’s former Lakers teammate Shaquille O’Neal led tributes on Twitter expressing sadness at his sudden death. “I’m sick right now,” he wrote.
“Words can’t describe the pain I am feeling. I loved Kobe — he was like a little brother to me. We used to talk often, and I will miss those conversations very much,” Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan said in a statement.
“He was a fierce competitor, one of the greats of the game and a creative force. Kobe was also an amazing dad who loved his family deeply — and took great pride in his daughter’s love for the game of basketball,” Jordan added.
Golf legend Tiger Woods said: “It’s an unbelievable reality that he’s no longer here.”
Former President Barack Obama via Twitter described Bryant as a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act. “To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.”
The first public presence Vanessa made after the accident was the morning of January 29 when she changed her Instagram avatar to a photo of her husband and Gianna on a basketball court.
Kobe and Vanessa were childhood sweethearts and they were married for almost 19 years at the time of his sudden death. Like all couples, they had their own issues that sometimes spilled into the limelight.
