Natalia Bryant’s High School Graduation Included Loving Message From Late Father Kobe Bryant

Natalia Bryant, the 18-year-old daughter of Kobe Bryant and Vanessa Bryant, graduated from high school Friday night. Her mother could not contain her excitement, chronicling the special night on her Instagram page. Vanessa, 39, also shared a close look at Natalia’s graduation cap, which included a quote from her late father embroidered along the edge.

The cap included the letters of the University of Southern California in the center to celebrate where Natalia will study in the fall. “Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is an opportunity for me to rise,” reads the quote from the late Los Angeles Lakers star. The cap also included the letters “K” and “G,” in honor of Bryant and sister Gianna. “Daddy, Mommy, Gigi, Bianka, and Capri are so proud of you [Natalia],” Vanessa wrote.

Vanessa shared several other photos from Natalia’s graduation, including a video of Natalia walking across the stage to pick up her degree. “Congratulations Natalia! We will ALL be with you every step of the way,” Vanessa captioned the video. Vanessa also showed a video of Natalia holding up her graduation cap and her degree. “Yay! Congratulations Natalia,” Vanessa wrote.

Vanessa announced in March that Natalia will be attending USC by sharing a video of Natalia celebrating right after she heard the news. “Tears of joy,” Vanessa wrote on March 30. “I’m SO happy for you Nani! I know daddy is so PROUD OF YOU. I am so PROUD OF YOU!! Your hard work and dedication was so worth it. You pushed through the most excruciating pain imaginable and you succeeded. I wish Daddy and Gigi were physically here to celebrate but I know they’re here in spirit. We love you so much!”

Bryant, Giana, and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on Jan. 26, 2020. Bryant was 41 and Giana was 13. Since her husband’s death, Vanessa has worked hard to preserve Bryant’s legacy. Earlier this week, Vanessa called out Nike for selling an unapproved “Mambacita” shoe honoring Gianna. According to Vanessa, she worked with Nike to design the shoe in the hopes that all proceeds would go to the Mamba Mambacita Sports Foundation. However, she did not sign a new contract with Nike, and the shoe was never approved to be sold.

Vanessa has also sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for negligence and invasion of privacy after it was reported that a Sheriff’s deputy took photos of the crash site and showed them to others. L.A. County officials said Bryant’s lawsuit turned into a “fishing expedition,” but Bryant’s attorney defended the ongoing court action last week. “The discomfort and distress she has suffered from government personnel using graphic photos of her deceased loved ones as gossip fodder is very real,” her legal filing read. “The County’s downplaying of what happened only confirms that Mrs. Bryant cannot trust the County’s internal investigations and must complete an investigation of her own.”