Vanessa Bryant Honors Kobe Bryant on What Would Have Been Their 20th Anniversary

Vanessa Bryant is paying tribute to her late husband, Kobe Bryant on what would be their 20th wedding anniversary. On Sunday, Vanessa went to Instagram to send a message to Kobe. She posted a photo of the two when they got married in 2001.

“Happy Anniversary, baby. I love you. 20 years,” Vanessa wrote in the caption. She also posted a video of Kobe talking about how much he loves Vanessa. In the clip Kobe said: “We have a good time together. “I love her tremendously. We’re best friends too. It’s a blessing.” Vanessa also revealed through her Instagram story that she received a flower arrangement from Pau Gasol who played with Kobe when they were both with the Los Angeles Lakers.

As mentioned by PEOPLE, Vanessa and Kobe first met on the set of a music video in 1999. At the time, Vanessa was 17 and Kobe was 20. They two got engaged when Vanessa turned 18 and got married on April 18, 2001. The couple welcomed four children together: daughters Natalia, 18, Bianka, 4, Capri, 1, as well as 13-year-old Gianna, who died alongside her father in a helicopter crash in January 2020.

“They know mommy has hard days but when I see their faces when they realize that I’ve been crying, it makes me straighten up and push through for them,” Vanessa said to PEOPLE earlier this year. . “I counter it with making them smile about something. … Always finding the light in darkness. I can’t say that I’m strong every day [and] I can’t say that there aren’t days when I feel like I can’t survive to the next,” she continued, noting that on those days “my girls help me smile through the pain.”

In January, Vanessa went to her Instagram story to talk about how she is dealing with grief. “Let’s be real, Grief is a messed up cluster of emotions,” Vanessa wrote in the post. “One day, you’re in the moment laughing and the next day you don’t feel like being alive. I want to say this to people struggling with grief and heartbreaking loss. Find your reason to live. I know it’s hard. I look at my daughters and I try to push through that feeling for them. Death is guaranteed but living the rest of the day isn’t. Find your reason.”