It hasn’t even been a month since the tragic deaths of LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna in a Jan. 26 helicopter crash. Now the first holiday without them has come and it’s one that’s particularly heartbreaking for his widow Vanessa Bryant. The 37-year-old took to her Instagram on Feb. 14 to reveal that Valentine’s Day was Kobe’s favorite holiday, and she’s missing him so much. The couple was coming up on 20 years of marriage in 2021, so one can only imagine how many romantic Valentine’s Day’s Kobe gave his wife.
Vanessa shared a photo sitting on Kobe’s lap, as he has his big, strong arms wrapped around her. She’s seen looking at the camera with a big, bright smile, as he plants a big kiss on her cheek. Vanessa is wearing a strapless red top, possibly in honor of Valentine’s Day. “To my forever Valentine, I love you so much. Missing you so much on your favorite holiday. Te amo per sempre. Kisses to you and Gigi in heaven. Happy Valentine’s Day, my babies. With all my love, your boo-boo. ❤️,” she wrote in the caption.
Under the photo, Vanessa included the lyrics to “Tell Him” by Lauryn Hill as the song played. The poignant words seem to perfectly sum up how Vanessa is feeling with Kobe gone forever. The song goes, “Let me be patient let me be kind//Make me unselfish without being blind//Though I may suffer I’ll envy it not//And endure what comes//’Cause he’s all that I got and tell him//Tell him I need him//Tell him I love him.”
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Kobe and Gianna “Gigi” were killed on Jan. 26 when the helicopter they were aboard crashed into a Calabasas, CA hillside in foggy conditions. Seven others including the pilot were also killed in the tragedy. They had been en route from their home in Orange County to Kobe’s Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, CA were Gigi had a basketball game. Vanessa has since requested that the same be changed to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation in honor of her husband and daughter. Gigi was a basketball prodigy just like her dad, and Vanessa wants her remembered alongside him in the academy’s name.