Vanessa Bryant is commemorating her late daughter Gianna’s birthday with a poignant post.
The widow of Kobe Bryant took to Instagram on Friday, May 1, to mark what would have been her daughter’s twentieth birthday.
“Joyful birthday to my sweet baby angel, Gianna. Words can’t express how much I really like and miss you mamacita,” Vanessa, 43, captioned the post, which featured a throwback image of herself kissing her daughter. “Mommy loves you a lot! #HappyBirthday #20 💕💕”
Followers flocked to the comments section to share their support. LeBron James, Kim Kardashian, Kelly Rowland, La La Anthony, Kris Jenner, and Gianna’s older sister Natalia were amongst those that commented on the post with their love.
Kobe and Gianna – together with seven others – were tragically killed in a January 2020 helicopter crash while on the method to his Mamba Sports Academy for a basketball game. Kobe and Gianna were 43 and 13 respectively. (Kobe and Vanessa also shared daughters Natalia, 23, Bianka, 9, and Capri, 6.)
Annually, Vanessa remembers Gianna and Kobe on their respective birthdays.
“Joyful birthday, Gigi! Mommy loves and misses you greater than I could ever express. I really like you Gianna. ❤️19 ♉️ 5/1 #Mambacita,” posted Vanessa last 12 months.
In 2024, Vanessa reflected on what might have been as she marked what would have been Gianna’s 18th birthday.
“Joyful birthday to my gorgeous girl, Gigi! I really like you. I miss you. I’m so pleased with you,” she wrote via Instagram on the time. “2024 was your 12 months. You’ll’ve been graduating highschool and selecting which college to go to. (I’d’ve been trying my hardest to persuade you to remain near home).”
A long-lasting love. Kobe Bryant and Vanessa Bryant’s decades-long romance got here to a tragic end when the NBA legend died on January 26, 2020. Despite their relationship’s heartbreaking conclusion, their romance was full of many highs through the years. The love between Kobe and Vanessa began not long after the duo first met in November […]
Meanwhile, Vanessa shared an emotional tribute to Kobe in August 2025 to mark what would have been the NBA star’s forty seventh birthday.
“We love and miss you and Gigi a lot,” Vanessa wrote via Instagram alongside a photograph of the couple sharing a kiss. “Sending our like to you. Joyful birthday, baby. @kobebryant ❤️.”
Vanessa and Kobe first met on the set of Eastsidaz’s “G’d Up” music video in 1999, where Vanessa was working as a backup dancer. They tied the knot in 2001 before welcoming their daughters.
Following Kobe and Gianna’s deaths, Vanessa sued Los Angeles County for invasion of privacy and negligence after Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department employees took and distributed photos of the helicopter crash. In August 2022, she was awarded $16 million in damages. The next 12 months, she settled for nearly $29 million, all of which was donated to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation.