Vanessa Bryant Admits She ‘Refuses To Accept’ That Kobe & Gigi Are Dead: ‘It Feels Wrong’

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Vanessa Bryant broke her silence once again with a long, emotional post on her Instagram, Feb. 10, while she struggles with overwhelming grief after the deaths of her husband, Kobe, and 13-year-old daughter, Gianna “Gigi” Bryant. “I’ve been reluctant to put my feelings into words,” Vanessa said in her heartbreaking message, which featured a video of Kobe coaching Gianna and her basketball teammates from the Mamba Sports Academy. “My brain refuses to accept that both Kobe and Gigi are gone. I can’t process both at the same time. It’s like I’m trying to process Kobe being gone but my body refuses to accept my Gigi will never come back to me. It feels wrong.”

Vanessa then questioned, “Why should I be able to wake up another day when my baby girl isn’t being able to have that opportunity?!” Understandably, the mother of three surviving young girls was, “so mad,” confessing that Gianna “had so much life to live.” But nevertheless, Vanessa revealed that she still needs “to be strong and be here for my 3 daughters. Mad I’m not with Kobe and Gigi but thankful I’m here with Natalia, Bianka and Capri [17, 3, and 7 months, respectively].”

Though the emotions and pain were still incredibly raw, Vanessa told her followers, “I know what I’m feeling is normal. It’s part of the grieving process. I just wanted to share in case there’s anyone out there that’s experienced a loss like this.” In her closing sentences, Vanessa confessed, “God I wish they were here and this nightmare would be over. Praying for all of the victims of this horrible tragedy. Please continue to pray for all.”

Vanessa’s beloved husband and daughter were tragically killed on Jan. 26, 2020, along with seven other civilians — including two of Gianna’s young basketball teammates. They lost their lives after Kobe’s helicopter crashed near Calabasas. Since the horrific accident, fans, sports figures, and celebrities alike have been mourning the departed LA Lakers player and icon.

While Kobe left a lasting legacy of inspiration with his former Lakers teammates, as the second act of his career, he was dedicated to encouraging young women and girls to excel in sports, especially basketball. The video that Vanessa shared in her post, which you can see here, featured Kobe in his element, coaching his daughter, Gianna, at practice and working with her talented young teammates. One parent in the video summed up Kobe in two words: “He’s amazing.”