“Best Girl Daddy”: Vanessa Bryant remembers Kobe's tender hospital ID gesture on daughter Natalia's 21st birthday
Vanessa Bryant, the widow of the late, great LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant took the time to remember her husband on their daughter Natalia's 21st birthday. Natalia turned 21 on Frifay, which is just a week before the fourth death anniversary of Kobe, which will be on Jan. 26.
Since he passed, Vanessa Bryant has kept his memory alive and one of the ways she's done this is through various posts on her Instagram page. She continued this tradition as their daughter Natalia celebrated her 21st birthday.
As part of the celebration, she took the time to remember Kobe by sharing a heartwarming memory of him from when Natalia was born in 2003. The memory she shared is from a post initially made by the Twitter page "Kobe Highlights & Motivation," which she later reposted onto her Instagram Stories.
"21 years ago, one day after the birth of Natalia, Kobe Bryant wore his hospital ID bracelet during the entire Lakers game."
Vanessa added more to the post by calling her late husband the "Best Girl Daddy" when she reposted the tweet.
The game where Kobe wore his hospital bracelet was against the LA Clippers on Jan. 20, 2003. He finished the game with a double-double that consisted of 26 points and 11 assists.He almost had a triple-double as he had eight rebounds as well. He also put in the work on defense, ending the night with three steals and two blocks. The Lakers won 96-92.
Furthermore, Vanessa made another post dedicated to Natalia on her birthday where she praised her for being "beautiful, strong, smart, and loving" and saying that she is "what every parent hopes and prays for."
Also read: Kobe Bryant's daughter Natalia reveals how bond over Oscar-winning short film led to her own filmmaking journey
Vanessa Bryant donated money won from her lawsuit over Kobe's death to the Mamba and Mambacita Foundation
After Gianna and Kobe Bryant tragically died in a helicopter crash, Vanessa renamed the Mamba Foundation, which Kobe founded, to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation to also honor her daughter Gigi.
After their tragic accident, graphic photos of the scene were leaked to the public after several law enforcement officers allegedly took pictures of the bodies. Due to this, Vanessa Bryant ended up suing Los Angeles County.
She won the lawsuit and was reportedly awarded $16 million. She said that she would be donating a portion of it to the foundation but the exact amount was not disclosed to the public.
Aside from Vanessa, Chris Chester, whose wife and daughter were also killed in the crash, was awarded $15 million.
Also read: “I swear I’m cultured!”: Kobe Bryant's daughter reveals her mind goes on mute when playing musical quiz with mom Vanessa