Kobe Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, bravely shared sweet memories about her daughter Gigi and husband Kobe in front of a full arena at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on Monday, Feb. 24.
She gracefully shared how kind, confident and talented Gigi was, always willing to offer help and never afraid to show her love for her family.
Vanessa talked about how Kobe had a tender heart, one that enjoyed movies like ‘The Notebook’ so much that he bought his wife the dress from the film. He took pride in guiding his daughters with each of them having their own connection with the “Girl Dad”.
It was a very sad morning in LA. Thousand of fans, along with Magic Johnson, Lamar Odom, Snoop Dogg, Alex Rodriguez, Jennifer Lopez, Queen Latifah, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union were grieving in the audience.
Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera all gave heartfelt performances. Beyonce sung her song “Halo”. Aguilera sung one of Kobe’s favorite songs “Ave Maria”. Alicia Keys performed Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” as she played on her piano.
Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal shared stories of the late MVP player. Jordan joked that more crying memes would be created about him. O’Neal talked about the time that players complained that Kobe wouldn’t pass the ball.
“I said I’ll talk to him. I said Kobe, there’s no “I” in team. He said “I know but there’s a M-E in that m*therf*ck*r.”” The audience broke out in laughter, a relieving moment for such a sorrowful event.
WNBA player Diana Taurasi took to the podium to express how much she looked up to the Black Mamba. She studied all of his moves and admired his competitive fire. Taurasi then reminisced on Gigi’s innocent, but fearless mentality towards the sport. “I always remember the look on Gigi’s face,” she said as she began to breakdown. “It was a look of excitement, a look of belonging, a look of fierce determination.”
In the rest of the city, the streets were a bit emptier than usual while those who were out wore Kobe’s jerseys. Others who could not make it to the memorial gathered at Kobe murals across the City of Angels.
For such a great loss to the city, what is even more resonating than that is the fact that Vanessa is finding the inner strength to carry the legacy of her family and be there for her children. The courage she showed today is inspiring and a testament to love beyond life.
