Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Kobe Bryant, penned a heartfelt birthday note for the NBA star. On social media, the 40-year-old said she ‘loves him and misses him so much’.
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Kobe Bryant, popularly known as ‘The Black Mamba’, died in a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter crash in January 2020. His 13-year-old daughter Gianna, six family friends, and the pilot, Ara Zobayan were also on-board. The two-time NBA Finals MVP would have turned 44 on Tuesday.
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Vanessa posted a photo of her and Kobe from 2009, when he had won his 4th NBA title and 1st NBA Finals MVP. He can be seen wearing his championship shirt and hat, hugging his wife post-game.
“Happy birthday, baby!” the 40-year-old said Tuesday.
“I love you and miss you so much! #44 ❤️ @kobebryant”
Vanessa, former model and music video star from Los Angeles, and Kobe Bryant got married in April 2001. The two had four children – Natalia, Gianna, Bianka and Capri.
After Kobe and Gianna’s death, Vanessa honoured them by getting tattoos, launching the Mambacita clothing line, and taking her three other daughters to Italy, where her late husband was raised.
“Visited Reggio Calabria, a city my husband lived in when he was about 8 years old,” Vanessa said in July.
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Kobe Bryant went on to play for 20 NBA seasons. He won five championships and two NBA Finals MVP titles.
Vanessa Bryant testified Friday that she was only beginning to grieve the loss of her husband, basketball star Kobe Bryant, and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna when she was faced with the fresh horror of learning that sheriff’s deputies and firefighters had shot and shared photos of their bodies at the site of the helicopter crash that killed them.
“I felt like I wanted to run, run down the block and scream,” she said, her tears turning to sobs and her voice quickening. “It was like the feeling of wanting to run down a pier and jump into the water. The problem is I can’t escape. I can’t escape my body.”
