Vanessa Bryant Shares Heartbreaking Post On Four-Year Anniversary Of Kobe’s Final Game

Vanessa Bryant wrote an emotional Instagram post about Kobe Bryant on the four-year anniversary of his final game in 2016, lamenting that all he wanted to do was "make up for lost time" in his retirement by spending time with his family.

Kobe, a five-time NBA champion with the Lakers, died tragically in a helicopter crash on January 26 along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven other people.

“My husband worked his ass off for 20 years," Vanessa wrote. "Gave it his all. All he wanted was to spend time with our girls and me to make up for lost time. He wanted to be there for every single milestone and special moment in our girls lives. He only got to enjoy 3 years and nine months of retirement. We had 2 more daughters, he won an Oscar, he opened Granity Studios, he became a 5x best selling author and coached Gianna’s basketball team in that time. She worked hard and gave her all 7 days a week just like her daddy. I wish I could (go) back to that morning, every day. I wish they had a normal local game on 1/26. Life truly isn’t fair. This is just senseless.”

Kobe died as he was headed to the Mamba Sports Academy, where he was going to coach Gianna in a youth basketball game.

Four years ago to this date, Bryant played in his final basketball game for the Lakers, scoring 60 points against the Utah Jazz on April 13, 2016.

His wife and two oldest daughters were in attendance and showered him with adoration after his NBA season came to a close.

In his speech that evening, he thanked his family for everything they had given up and endured to make his Hall-of-Fame career possible.

“To my family and my wife, Vanessa, our daughters, Natalia and Gianna, thank you guys for all your sacrifice for all the hours I spent in the gym working and training,” Kobe said. “And Vanessa, you holding down the family the way you have, there’s no way I could thank you enough for that. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

After Kobe retired, he poured himself into being a storyteller and a husband and father.

At Kobe's and Gianna's public memorial at Staples Center on Feb. 24, Vanessa choked back tears while talking how much he meant to their family.

"We had hoped to grow old together like the movie," Vanessa said. "We really had an amazing love story. We loved each other with our whole beings. Two perfectly imperfect people making a beautiful family and raising our sweet and amazing girls."