Vanessa Bryant Shared 'Class of 2024' Video of Daughter Gianna Just 2 Weeks Before Death
Vanessa Bryant recently unlocked her Instagram account, in the wake of the deaths of her husband [...]
Vanessa Bryant recently unlocked her Instagram account, in the wake of the deaths of her husband Kobe and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and a scan of the page revealed that she shared a "Class of 2024" video of her late daughter just two weeks before before a tragic helicopter crash claimed her life. In the soundtracked montage, clips of Gianna playing basketball are seen, as she was aspiring to follow in her father's footsteps. In the Jan. 9th post's caption, Vanessa wrote, "Gigi Bryant class of 2024," and then included her nickname, "Mambacita," which was a play on Kobe's nickname, "Black Mamba."
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Kobe and Gianna were in the family's private helicopter, on their way to her basketball practice — along with six other passengers — when the tragic crash took place in the hills of Calabasas, claiming the lives of everyone on board the aircraft.
In the days since, many have been taking to social media to mourn the loss of the NBA icon and his beloved daughter, with one person tweeting, "A life well-lived is like a ripple in water, reaching unknown places &touching countless lives. Kobe's tragic death reminds us all that life itself is not guaranteed. Taking risks & inspiring the world defines a star! We're given a brief moment to impact the world& transform."
REMEMBERING KOBE: Bryant was a regular at El Camino Real Mexican Restaurant in Fullerton. The cooks say this was his favorite, tostada de asada, plato de carnitas and agua de melon. I’ll have the full story about Kobe’s favorite spot at 6 p.m. pic.twitter.com/GPSvKN6JaD
— Eric Resendiz (@abc7eric) January 27, 2020
"RIP to a legend, my favorite athlete Kobe Bryant. I'm so heartbroken over this. Also Gianna Bryant, sweet angel. Rest In Peace baby girl. And also to all the rest that were on the helicopter," one other Twitter user said.
"I've already said the NBA needs to retire 24 and 8 throughout the entire league, but I just realized something. The WNBA should retire Gigi's number 2 forever as well. Mambacita would've been a legend just like her dad, there's no doubt," someone else offered.
Tonight I scored 81 points in the honor of my idol, favorite player, and someone who is the reason I start playing basketball this mean so much to me I want to thank my teammates and coaches for allowing me to accomplish this 💯💯❤️ #DaTicket4200 #RipKobe #RipGiGi 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/f7RAeXfYOV
— ZID (@zidpowell) January 28, 2020
Bryant was 41 years old at the time of his death. The crash is currently under investigation, and has been ruled an accident by the Los Angeles coroner's office.