Vanessa Bryant continued to pay tribute to her late daughter, Gianna, after the teen’s tragic death alongside her father, Kobe Bryant.
“My Gianna,” Vanessa, 37, captioned an Instagram photo of a school tribute to Gianna on Wednesday, February 5. “God I miss you. I’ve been so lucky to have woken up to see your gorgeous face and amazing smile for 13 years. Wish it would’ve been until my last breath.”
She added: “Mommy loves you to the moon and back. Infinity plus 1. #2 #Mambacita #GigiBryant.”
The mother of four followed up her post with an Instagram video from the school’s jersey retirement ceremony. “Gianna Bryant Jersey Retirement,” she captioned the clip, which showed a school official and Gianna’s fellow students talking about her experience running for student council.
Kobe and Gianna died in a helicopter crash on January 26. The father-daughter pair were among nine total victims who were killed when the private aircraft crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, California. The former Lakers star was 41, while Gianna was 13.
The late NBA player is survived by daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months, in addition to Vanessa, whom he married in April 2001.
Earlier this week, the former model honored Gianna by reposting a piece of art that showed her wearing Kobe’s jersey while holding a basketball. “Seeing my babygirl smile and happy again with a basketball under her arm, wrapped in love just warmed my heart,” she wrote on Sunday, February 2. “Thank you for this. @_vivalareina thank you!! My Gigi. #Mambacita.”
Vanessa broke her silence on the loss of her loved ones on January 29. “My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time,” she captioned a family portrait on Instagram at the time. “Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them. We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.”
She admitted that she is “not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them.” However, Vanessa noted that their examples proved powerful for the grieving family: “But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way.”
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