The first thing that I thought about when I heard the horrible news of Koby and Gianna Bryant’s deaths was the family. What would his wife Vanessa and the three other daughters his left behind, would be thinking at that moment, how were they coping, I couldn’t get my mind off of it.
Ever since, days passed by and millions of people grieved and mourned in their own respective ways, but no public comments were made by Bryant’s immediate family, and it definitely made sense for them to show their emotions amongst the people they were the closest to.
Vanessa had turned her Instagram account private and nobody knew what was going on in that luxurious Bryant mansion the Los Angeles Lakers legend left behind.
But recently, she went public once again, only to thank all of the fans of the ‘Black Mamba’ from all over the world, who presented their condolences to the family in the past couple of days.
“My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time. Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them. We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri,” she wrote in the caption of the post.
“We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately.
“There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon.
“I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them. But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless — and that’s to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever.
“Thank you for sharing your joy, your grief and your support with us. We ask that you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality.
“To honor our Team Mamba family, the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund to help support the other families affected by this tragedy. To donate, please go to MambaOnThree.org.
“To further Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports, please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org.
“Thank you so much for lifting us up in your prayers, and for loving Kobe, Gigi, Natalia, Bianka, Capri and me,” she wrote.
Vanessa was the pillar that stood by the legendary basketballer’s side regardless of where he was in his career. It must have taken a lot of courage for her to come back to Kobe after he was accused of rape, but she sat there next to him during the public apology that he made kept the family together.
My heart goes out to Vanessa, Natalia, Bianka and Capri. Hope they find peace soon.
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