April 13, 2016, marked the final game of Kobe Bryant‘s 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He suited up against the Utah Jazz in front of a packed Staples Center and scored 60 points in what was called “Mamba Day.” Four years later, the late NBA icon’s wife, Vanessa, brought attention to that game while saying that “life truly isn’t fair” due to her husband and daughter, Gianna, dying in a helicopter crash.
Vanessa posted a video on Instagram on Monday that showed all 60 points scored by Bryant during his final game. He led the Lakers to a thrilling win while announcer Mike Tirico provided the play-by-play. Following the game, Bryant stood in front of the fans and thanked them for all of the love and support throughout his life. He then celebrated with Vanessa, Gianna and Natalia.
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“My husband worked his a— off for 20 years. Gave it his all. All he wanted was to spend time with our girls and me to make up for lost time,” Vanessa wrote in the caption of her post. “He wanted to be there for every single milestone and special moment in our girls lives. He only got to enjoy 3 years and 9 months of retirement.
“We had 2 more daughters, he won an Oscar, he opened Granity studios, he became a 5x best selling author and coached Gianna’s basketball team in that time,” Vanessa continued. “She worked hard and gave her all 7 days a week just like her daddy. I wish I could back to that morning, every day. I wish they had a normal local game on 1/26. Life truly isn’t fair. This is just senseless.”
Since Bryant’s retirement in 2016, April 13 has been known as “Mamba Day” due to it marking the end of his 20-year career. During this time with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant scored 33,643 career points and won five championships, two Finals MVPs, and one NBA MVP. He was an 18-time All-Star and was viewed as one of the greatest players in NBA history.
For Vanessa, however, Bryant was the man that dedicated his post-NBA career to his wife and daughters. His work ethic was evident during this time as he coached basketball games and supported his loved ones. This portion of Bryant’s life was cut short by his untimely death, but Vanessa saw him attack the three years and nine months with the same ferocity that made him a superstar in the NBA.
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