It was a day of grief and celebration on Wednesday (February 5) as loved ones of Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant gathered together at her jersey retirement ceremony. The 13-year-old lost her life alongside her NBA icon father Kobe Bryant and seven of their friends on Sunday, January 26. Students at Harbor Day Middle School gathered together inside of the gymnasium for the ceremony that included balloons, flowers, and memories of the beloved teenager.
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Grieving mother Vanessa Bryant shared the event on her Instagram page. "My Gianna. God I miss you," she penned in the caption to one of the videos. "I’ve been so lucky to have woken up to see your gorgeous face and amazing smile for 13 years. Wish it would’ve been until my last breath. Mommy loves you to the moon and back. Infinity plus 1. #2 #Mambacita #GigiBryant ❤️."
In another post, Vanessa wrote, "My Gigi. I love you! I miss you. You’ve taught us all that no act of kindness is ever too small. Mommy is still and will ALWAYS be so proud of you mamacita. ❤️#2 ?." We've added just a handful of the videos that Vanessa has shared, so watch through the touching, emotional tribute to Gianna Bryant below.
View this post on InstagramView this post on InstagramView this post on InstagramKobe Bryant’s Daughter Gianna Honored By Uni. Of Conn Women’s Basketball Team: "Forever A Husky"
She was a star in the making.
She was just a teen following in her superstar father’s footsteps. Gianna Maria-Onore “GiGi” Bryant always made it clear that although her basketball icon dad Kobe Bryant didn’t have any sons, she was still capable enough to carry on his legacy. Their last moments together were reportedly at church that fateful Sunday (January 26) morning before they would attempt to make their way to Kobe’s Mamba Sports Academy along with seven others for basketball practice. Sadly, they would perish together in a helicopter crash along with seven others.
Elsa / Staff / Getty ImagesLike millions of others, the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team was devastated by the news of the Los Angeles Lakers legend and his daughter’s passing. “Kobe and Gianna meant a lot to our program. Our thoughts are with the Bryant family,” the team shared on its Instagram page after verifying news reports. “Mamba Mentality will live on forever, but they are deeply missed. ?.” On Monday, the team returned with another post, this time in tribute to Gianna.
“Mambacita is forever a Husky ?,” the wrote in the caption of a photo that showed a #2 UConn jersey draped over a seat with a bouquet of flowers. They made sure to set aside a special place for the late 13-year-old basketball player at their game against Team USA on Monday evening. Check out their tributes below.
Kobe Bryant Filed Trademark For Gigi’s Nickname “Mambacita”: Report
Kobe reportedly filed the trademark just last month too.
It looks like Kobe Bryant’s daughter, Gianna, was really to trying to follow in the footsteps of her father. According to a report from TMZ, the Laker great had filed legal paperwork to trademark the name “Mambacita,” which of course was going to be named after his daughter and her basketball skills & mentality.
According to the docs, which were filed just last month on December 30th 2019, the plan was to put “Mambacita” on all sorts of sportswear, including shirts, shorts, hats, jerseys, sweatpants, sweatshirts, and hoodies.
Kobe even started referring to his 13-year-old daughter by that handle on social media. In fact, back in November, Kobe praised GiGi’s offense, and also the defense of Alyssa Altobelli, which is eerily poignant today as Alyssa was also on board and died in yesterday’s crash. Kobe ended the post by shouting out the “familiar fade” shot by his beloved daughter … “#Mambacita.”
While we wait for the full report on what happened, early reports suggest that the fog was the biggest factor in the accident. Reports are saying that the pilot was even warned second before crashing that they were flying “too low,” but it was apparently too late. We’ll be sure to keep you posted once concrete information surfaces.
Our thoughts and condolences go out to all the families grieving during this difficult time. If you missed it, see all nine victims right here.