Kobe Bryant and Wife Vanessa Share First Photo of Newborn ‘Princess’ Koko

Former NBA star, Kobe Bryant is counting his blessings this Fourth of July and sharing a photo to social media of his newest bundle of joy with wife, Vanessa — the first snapshot of their newborn daughter, born mid-June.

On Thursday, the 20-year-veteran of the Los Angeles Lakers took to Instagram to share the first photo of his newborn daughter, Capri Kobe Bryant, also lovingly known as “Koko.” In the adorable snapshot, infant Koko can be seen sleeping soundly while snuggled in a soft pink blanket and sporting a flowery headband.

“Our little princess Capri Kobe Bryant “KoKo” 6/20/19,” the athlete captioned the image alongside a heart emoji.

Vanessa shared the same photo, but alongside a separate caption that read: “Here’s our sweet baby girl! Capri Kobe Bryant [heart emoji] 6/20/19 [heart emoji].”

The comments from fans and followers flooded the comments section, congratulating Bryant and his growing family of daughters.

“She’s perfect!” one fan wrote.

“My parents named by brother Kobe after you [a goat] a name of greatness,” another added.

“Still waiting for Kobe Bryant JR,” another fan added, with plenty echoing the sentiment in the comments section.

While Bryant and his wife have no immediate plans for another, the 40-year-old athlete and his wife welcomed sweet Koko last month on June 20. In an announcement shared to social media, the couple revealed her name and were proud to be parents to “four princesses.” The couple, who got married in 2001, share three other daughters, Natalia, 16; Gianna, 13; and Bianka, 2.

In an interview with Extra, Bryant admitted that “guys keep teasing” him about being the father of only girls. But that doesn’t bother him one bit at all.

“My friends say, ‘It takes a real man to make a boy,’” Bryant said in the interview, according to PEOPLE. “I’m like, ‘Dude, it takes a king to make a princess … get in line. It’s pretty cool for me ’cause it’s Daddy’s little princesses.”

This past August, Bryant told the publication how he was inspired by his daughters, Gianna and Natalie — both of whom are involved in sports — to create a new scripted podcast that caters to children who might feel anxious or discouraged when participating in activities with The Punies.

Though Bryant might be retired, he isn’t too far from the courts as he finds himself coaching from the sidelines — a role he values, especially teaching his girls about a new environment.

“A valuable lesson that I can teach them is what it means to pursue excellence and the commitment level that comes with that,” he said. “At the same time, making things fun and challenging, and learning new things. But they’re having a blast. They’ve gotten extremely, extremely good over the course of the last year, and are continuing to work and get better, man. It’s been fun.”

Photo credit: Getty Images / WireImage