Kobe Bryant’s Daughter Natalia Makes Her Met Gala Debut With Eye-Catching Ensemble

Natalia Bryant, the daughter of late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, made her Met Gala debut on Monday. The 18-year-old is an IMG model and went with a “young and fun” look for the theme of the event In America: A Lexicon of Fashion. When speaking with E! News, Natalia talked about how happy she was to be at the Met Gala in New York. 

“I’m so excited and so nervous at the same time, Natalia said, per Us Weekly. “I’m just so glad that Anna Wintour allowed me to wear this exhibit dress by Conner Ives.” She also her favorite part was “just seeing everybody: while adding “it’s just so nice. Natalia’s mom Vanessa Bryant, showed love to her daughter on Instagram, saying that she’s “happy” for her. 

Natalia’s Met Gala debut comes seven months after signing a contract with IMG Models. “I have always been interested in fashion since a very young age,” she said via Instagram in February. “I have a love for the industry and ever since I can remember I wanted to model. There is a lot to learn but I feel this is a great opportunity for me to learn and express myself creatively. I am beyond thrilled and honored to be a part of the IMG family!” While launching her modeling career, Natalia is also taking classes at the University of Southern California.

Natalia is doing a lot of great things while her father watches proudly. Kobe died in a helicopter crash in January 2020 along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other victims. Kobe also shared daughters Bianka and Capri with Vanessa. Earlier this month, Natalia talked to Teen Vogue about growing up with an NBA superstar as a father. 

“Growing up, my parents made it as normal as possible,” Natalia said. “Thank God they did. It’s not, ‘Oh, she’s Natalia Bryant, she’s Kobe Bryant’s daughter.’ A lot of times they saw me as, ‘She’s just Nani.’” Natalia also talked about her relationship with her father. “He was just, like, the best girl dad ever,” she said when talking about an outing she had with Kobe in 2019. “He was just letting me play my playlist and jam out to Taylor Swift the whole ride back, and talk about Star Wars too. It was so much fun.”