Vanessa Bryant Gets Tattoo Tributes to Husband Kobe and Daughter Gianna

Vanessa Bryant just paid tribute to her late husband and daughter by getting two new tattoos. Bryant went to Instagram to share videos of herself getting tattoos of messages from Kobe and Gianna, who died in a helicopter crash along with seven other people on Jan. 26. Bryant’s tattoos were done by Nikko Hurtado, and Vanessa wanted the get the tattoos in order to see their writing at all times.

“Shoutout to @nikkohurtado for coming over and helping me get my Gigi’s sweet message transferred on me,” Bryant wrote on Instagram. “So happy I can see my Gigi’s handwriting every day.” In the second Instagram post, Bryant wrote: “I wanted my boo boo’s @kobebryant sweet message transferred on me. @nikkohurtado came through for me. Thank you!” In the video where Bryant got Gianna’s messages tattooed on her, she used the hashtag #throwbacktoFebruary, which could mean she received the tattoos in February.

Bryant sharing the tattoo videos comes on the heels of her celebrating Gianna’s graduation from middle school. Gianna attended Arbor Day School in Del Mar, California, and the school honored her with a diploma. On Instagram, Bryant wrote: “Congratulations on your 8th grade graduation Gigi. I love you forever and always. I’m so proud of you.” The school also retired her No. 2 jersey in February, and Bryant wrote on Instagram: “My Gianna. God I miss you. I’ve been so lucky to have woken up to see your gorgeous face and amazing smile for 13 years.”

On April 18, 2020, Bryant celebrated her and Kobe’s 19th wedding anniversary and paid tribute to him on several posts on Instagram. In an interview with MTV News in 2001, Kobe wrote: “You know, it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly makes a person the one for you, but you just know. I mean, love is a funny thing. I can’t explain it, and I don’t understand it. But all I know is that she caught my heart. And I just knew that she was the one.”

Kobe was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996-2016 and considered one of the best players in NBA history. He led the Lakers to five NBA Championships, was named NBA Finals MVP in 2009 and 2019 and won the NBA MVP award in 2008.