Lakers News: Vanessa Bryant Gifted Elite Women’s Program Kobe 8s During March Madness
Ahead of their NCAA Sweet 16 matchup against Colorado, the Iowa women's basketball team received a special gift from Vanessa Bryant, widow of the late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. Bryant and Nike sent the Iowa squad new Venice Beach-themed Nike Kobe 8s.
After receiving these shoes, Iowa women's basketball went on to defeat Colorado 89-68 and then the defending national champions LSU 94-87 in the Elite Eight. Now, the Hawkeyes are getting set to play Paige Bueckers and UConn in the NCAA Final Four on Friday.
The game is set to be a classic, with two great players facing off in Bueckers and Iowa's Caitlin Clark. Clark has been her usual unstoppable self as of late, recently winning the Naismith Player of the Year award for the second straight season. She just scored 41 points to lead the Hawkeyes past LSU and has scored at least 27 points in all four tournament games this season. She'll now take on Bueckers and the Huskies for a shot at returning to the national championship game.
This is not the first time Vanessa has donated shoes to a significant college basketball program. Vanessa also gifted sneakers to the USC women's basketball and the UConn men's basketball teams earlier this year. Last year, she gifted sneakers to the aforementioned title-winning LSU women's basketball team.
These gifts continue the work Vanessa and Kobe championed in investing in sports, particularly women and girls in sports. Vanessa leads the Mamba and Mambacita Foundation in Kobe and late daughter Gianna's memory, which aims to aid underserved athletes and children in sports.
