Vanessa Bryant Posts Video Of Kobe Bryant Talking About Coaching Gianna
Vanessa Bryant recently posted a video on Instagram of Kobe Bryant talking about the joy he found in coaching his 13-year-old daughter Gianna in basketball.
"She started out playing soccer, which is one of my favorite sports as well," Bryant said in the video. "But then when she asked about learning the game of basketball, then I started teaching her piece by piece and she started enjoying it, and loved it and now she plays everyday. It's been a joy to watch her grow and to be there everyday for that process."
Kobe and Gianna died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 along with seven other people as they were headed to the Mamba Sports Academy, where Kobe was going to coach Gianna in a basketball game.
"Her temperament is a lot like mine," Bryant said in the video. "She's extremely competitive, very fiery and backs down from no challenge. She has a mixture -- she's a good mix of me and a good mix of her mama, so that makes her even more competitive than I am."
Kobe was a five-time NBA champion, a two-time Finals MVP and a one-time regular MVP in 2008 over his 20 seasons with the Lakers.
After retiring in 2016, Kobe poured himself into storytelling, spending time with his family and coaching Gianna. They attended NBA games together and she wanted to play in the WNBA.
In an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel in 2018, Kobe laughed at fans who urged him to have a son.
"The best thing that happens is when we go out, and fans will come up to me and she'll be standing next to me, and they'll be like, 'You gotta have a boy, you and [Vanessa] gotta have a boy, man, to have somebody carry on the tradition, the legacy," Bryant told Kimmel. "And [Gianna] will be like ‘Oy, I got this. We don’t need a boy for that. I got this.'”
At Kobe's and Gianna's public memorial on Feb. 24 at Staples Center, Vanessa spoke of the special bond they shared.
"God knew they couldn't be on this earth without each other," Vanessa said. "He had to bring them home to heaven together."
