By: Victoria Pinto
The Bryants’ second daughter, 13-year-old Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, lost her life on the same day as her father, Kobe Bryant, in a helicopter crash on Sunday, January 26.
Gianna and Bryant were heading to a basketball game on Sunday when their helicopter crashed in the city of Calabasas, west of Los Angeles. The pair were supposed to participate in a basketball tournament for young players at Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand.
There were nine people in the helicopter, including the daughter, Gianna Bryant, also known as Gigi, who wanted to advance her father’s career.
Gianna was also a basketball player and had her father as her inspiration and personal coach. The teenager hoped to become a professional and her father was confident that she would continue his legacy, albeit on the women’s team.
Tragically, none of them would live to see their aspiration come to fruition. In an interview, Bryant said his daughter was determined to play for the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team.
According to BBC News, Gianna had a particularly special bond with her father, so much so that the former LA Lakers player has coached his daughter’s high school team since his retirement.
Bryant’s affection for his daughter is obvious on his social media profiles. There are several videos and photos that the former athlete shared with the public, most notably a video posted on his Instagram playing “one-on-one with my baby Gigi”.
Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, daughter of Kobe Bryant and Vanessa Laine Bryant, born May 1, 2006, was an American high school player from Los Angeles.