Napheesa Collier recalls Kobe Bryant's request for her to mentor his daughter Gigi Bryant

Modified Nov 05, 2024 03:59 GMT

WNBA star Napheesa Collier recalled the late Kobe Bryant's request for her to serve as a mentor to his daughter, Gigi Bryant. Collier had met the Bryants when she was at UConn, and they began working out in Los Angeles until Kobe and Gigi's death on Jan. 20, 2020.

On "Podcast P with Paul George," Collier shared the story of how she had first met Kobe and Gigi. It happened at UConn due to the young girl's fandom of the Huskies, with her husband, Alex Bazzell, eventually helping train Kobe's second daughter.

"Gigi was a huge fan of UConn, so that's where I first met them," Collier said (50:30). "Then my husband Alex used to be an NBA trainer, so we'd be in LA all the time because all the guys go out there to train. I was out there one summer and I'm just like, 'Hey, Kobe. You know I'm in LA. If Gigi ever wants to work out like let me know.'"

It turned into just a personal workout between Napheesa Collier and her husband, with Kobe Bryant watching them along with his girls. However, Kobe liked what he saw from Alex Bazzell and continued to invite him for personal workouts even though he's no longer an active NBA player.

Collier shared that she even played Gigi one-on-one on occasion and served as a mentor figure for the aspiring player.

"She was fearless, trying to go against me, not scared about getting blocked," Collier said (54:26). "Like doing her moves, taking her Kobe fadeaway over the shoulders, midpost move, guarding me as hard as she could, she was in it. She wanted to win that game, she's not thinking that she was going to lose that game. She had truly that Mamba mentality."

Napheesa Collier praised Gigi for not backing down even though she was only 12 at the time. Collier even added that she had never seen that competitiveness and fire from anyone at that age before.

Napheesa Collier remembered Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi after their deaths

In an interview with the Star Tribune a few days after Kobe and Gigi Bryant's deaths, Napheesa Collier remembered what it was like to work with them. Collier felt sadness after hearing the heartbreaking news.

"Just extreme sadness,'' Collier said. "Every time, after you finished talking with him, you'd think, 'What an amazing person.'

"You see it these last couple days, the stories people are telling. He made you feel special when you talked to him. He made you feel better about yourself. This is so sad. Unthinkable, really. It doesn't feel real yet.''