On Monday evening (February 24), over 20,000 fans gathered at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna (Gigi), who tragically died in a helicopter crash last month.
At the ceremony, Vanessa Bryant – Kobe’s wife and Gianna’s mother – delivered a moving speech in their honour.
WATCH BELOW: Kobe Bryant And Daughter Gianni Killed In Helicopter Crash
“First, I’d like to thank everyone for coming today,” she began the powerful eulogy. “The outpouring of love and support that my family has felt from around the world has been so uplifting. Thank you so much for all your prayers. I’d like to talk about both Kobe and Gigi. But I’ll start with my baby girl first.”
Speaking candidly about her strong relationship with her daughter, Vanessa continued: “Gianna Bryant is an amazingly sweet and gentle soul. She was always thoughtful. She would always kiss me good night and kiss me good morning.”
“There were a few occasions where I was absolutely tired from being up with Bianka and Capri, and I thought she had left to school without saying goodbye,” she said. “I text and say, “No kiss?” And Gianna would reply with, ‘Mama, I kissed you. You were asleep and I didn’t want to wake you.’ She knew how much her morning and evening kisses meant to me, and she was so thoughtful to remember to kiss me every day.
“She was daddy’s girl, but I know she loved her mama, and she would always show me and tell me that she loved me. She was one of my very best friends”
Vanessa added, “Her smile took up her entire face like mine. Kobe always said she was me. She had my fire. My personality and sarcasm. She was tender and loving on the inside. She had the best laugh. It was infectious. It was pure and genuine.”
Bryant later went on to say a few words for her late husband and “soulmate”, Kobe.
“Kobe was known as a fierce competitor on the basketball court. The greatest of all time, a writer and Oscar winner and the Black Mamba,” she said. “But to me, he was Kobe-Kobe, my boo-boo, my bae-boo. My papi chulo. I was his Vivi, his Principesa, his Reina, his Queen Mamba.”
“I couldn’t see him as a celebrity, nor just an incredible basketball player,” she continued. “He was my sweet husband and the beautiful father of our children. He was mine. He was my everything.”
She went on to speak about their romance, the couple fell in love aged 17, revealing how he once gifted her the very blue dress from The Notebook.
“We had hoped to grow old together like the movie. We really had an amazing love story,” Vanessa recalled. “We loved each other with our whole beings. Two perfectly imperfect people making a beautiful family, and raising our sweet and amazing girls.”
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To conclude the powerful speech, she added: “God knew they couldn’t be on this earth without each other. He had to bring them home to have them together.”
“Babe, you take care of our Gigi, and I’ve got Nani, Bibi and Coco – we’re still the best team. We love and miss you Boo Boo and Gigi, may you both rest in peace and have fun in heaven until we meet again one day. We love you both and miss you, forever and always. Mommy.”
The tribute comes almost a month after the father-daughter duo passed away – alongside passengers: Christina Mauser, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester and pilot Ara Zobayan – in a helicopter crash headed towards a tournament at Kobe’s Mama Sport Academy.
Vanessa chose February 24 to hold the remembrance ceremony as it was the number of Kobe’s jersey from 2006 to the end of his basketball career in 2016. While the second month of the year is also significant, as Gianna wore the number two when playing the sport.
Beyoncé kickstarted the Celebration of Life ceremony with a powerful rendition of ‘XO’ followed by performances from Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera.
Read Vanessa Bryant’s full speech.
On Monday evening (February 24), over 20,000 fans gathered at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna (Gigi), who tragically died in a helicopter crash last month.
At the ceremony, Vanessa Bryant – Kobe’s wife and Gianna’s mother – delivered a moving speech in their honour.
WATCH BELOW: Kobe Bryant And Daughter Gianni Killed In Helicopter Crash
On Monday evening (February 24), over 20,000 fans gathered at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna (Gigi), who tragically died in a helicopter crash last month.
At the ceremony, Vanessa Bryant – Kobe’s wife and Gianna’s mother – delivered a moving speech in their honour.
WATCH BELOW: Kobe Bryant And Daughter Gianni Killed In Helicopter Crash
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