Kobe and Vanessa Bryant's Daughters Recreate Photo in Gianna Tribute
Vanessa Bryant is continuing to pay tribute to her late daughter Gianna. As she and daughters [...]
Vanessa Bryant is continuing to pay tribute to her late daughter Gianna. As she and daughters Natalia, 18, Bianka, 4, and Capri, 2 continue their Italian getaway, they took a moment to recreate a sweet throwback photo of the teen, who died alongside her father, Kobe Bryant, in January 2020. Earlier in the trip, Bryant revealed they embarked on the getaway because her husband had given Natalia the ok to go on a trip to Croatia with her senior year of high school class. The trip, however, was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic and the proud mom "wanted to make sure that [Natalia] got the opportunity to visit."
Bryant shared the sweet tribute on Friday on Instagram, where she posted a gallery that included two images. The first image was not dated, though it showed a young Natalia and Gianna sitting on a bench on the Italian island of Capri. The second image showed Bianka and Capri, who donned matching dresses, sitting on that very same bench. Bryant, who had been documenting the family trip, captioned the post, "Missing my baby girl, Gigi." She added a series of emojis before concluding, "My #2. Mambacita."
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Gianna, a rising basketball star in her own right, tragically died in a January 2020 helicopter crash. She was just 13. Her father, Kobe, also passed away. The pair had been traveling to a youth basketball game at Kobe's Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks, California when the crash occurred. The crash killed the seven others aboard the flight as well, including the helicopter's pilot Ara Zobayan, John Altobelli, 56, Keri Altobelli, 46, Alyssa Altobelli, 14, Sarah Chester, 45, Payton Chester, 13, and Christina Mauser, 38.
In an interview with PEOPLE for the cover story of the magazine's March 15 issue, Bryant credited her daughters for keeping her going amid her tragic loss. She told the outlet that Natalia, Bianka, and Capri "help me smile through the pain. They give me strength." Bryant described her loss as "unimaginable" and said, "you just have to get up and push forward. Lying in bed crying isn't going to change the fact that my family will never be the same again."
In the time since Giana and Kobe's passing, Bryant has kept their memories alive by way of frequent tributes. To mark the first year anniversary of their deaths, Bryant shared a moving letter Giana's friend wrote to her. In July, she also shared a photo of Bianka and Capri at the WNBA's All-Star Game, with the youngsters wearing jerseys bearing their numbers, 8 and 24.