Vanessa Bryant remembered her late husband Kobe Bryant as “the best girl dad” in a sweet post on Father’s Day.
The Instagram post included a photo of the longtime Los Angeles Lakers star with his and Vanessa’s four daughters.
“To the best girl dad~ Happy Father’s Day, Papi,” Vanessa captioned the image Sunday. “We love you forever and always, always and forever. Love you always, Nani, Gigi, B.B, Koko and VB.”
Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash in Southern California in January 2020. Kobe was 41.
Dwyane Wade, Russell Wilson, Ciara, Gigi Hadid and Lisa Leslie were among the public figures to post a heart emoji on Vanessa’s tribute Sunday.
“Family,” Wilson wrote in his comment.
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Kobe retired from the NBA in 2016 after 20 seasons and five championships with the Lakers.
Sunday is the birthday of Kobe and Vanessa’s youngest child, daughter Capri, who turned 2. Vanessa shared a series of Instagram posts celebrating the young girl’s birthday as well.
“Mommy, Daddy, Nani, Gigi and B.B. love you so much!” Vanessa captioned the first post. “You are our beautiful ray of light. Thank you for bringing so much joy and love into our lives. May you be blessed with many more happy, healthy and wonderful birthdays. We love you Koko-Bean! Happy birthday!!!!”
Kobe Bryant’s life by the numbers
8/23/78
Kobe Bean Bryant was born on Aug. 23, 1978. He was born in Philadelphia, and went to Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pa. His father, Joe Bryant, played at Philadelphia’s Bartram High, La Salle and for the 76ers from 1975-79. Bryant went directly from Lower Merion into the NBA and played for 20 seasons, all with the Los Angeles Lakers.
5
5: Times he helped the Lakers win the championship, including 2001 when he beat the Philadelphia 76ers in five games. After Game 3 of that series, Bryant infamously responded to a Sixers fan heckler, “We’re going to cut your hearts out Wednesday.” Bryant then went out and nearly had a triple-double that night (19 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists) and the Lakers won the series two days later.
18
18: Times named All-Star, playing in 15 games, winning MVP four times.
12
12: Times named to the NBA’s all-defensive team, eight times first team.
15
15: Times all-NBA, 11 times first team.
1
1: League MVP (2007-08).
2
2: NBA Finals MVP (2009, 2010).
8 and 24
8 and 24: Switched from jersey No. 8 to No. 24 in 2006 because he wanted a new number for the second half of his career. Bryant opted for No. 24, his first high school number. (Kobe also wore No. 33 at Lower Merion, but the Lakers retired that number in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s honor.) The Lakers retired both 8 and 24.
81
81: Number of points he scored on Jan. 22, 2006, against the Toronto Raptors. Bryant shot 28 for 46 (61 percent) from the field, including 7 for 13 on 3-pointers, and 18 for 20 at the free-throw line. It’s the second-highest ever in an NBA game, bested only by Wilt Chamberlain’s 100.
60
60: Number of points he scored in his final game, April 13, 2016.
2
2: Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012)
$328 million
$328 million: Career earnings in NBA salary, according to Basketball-Reference.com. He earned countless millions more in endorsements and other business ventures.
33,643
33,643: Career points, which was third all-time when he retired. LeBron James passed him on Saturday while playing for the Lakers in a game in Philadelphia.
1
1: Academy Award for his animated film announcing that he would retire following 2015-16. “This season is all I have left to give,” he said in the film. “My heart can take the pounding, my mind can handle the grind. But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye. And that’s OK. I’m ready to let you go.”
