Kobe and Vanessa Bryant.Photo: Vanessa Bryant/Instagram
Vanessa Bryanton Tuesday wishedKobe Bryanta happy birthday on what would have been the basketball legend’s 44th birthday.
Vanessa, 40, took toInstagramto share a sweet photo of the couple embracing in celebration of the day.
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Vanessa and Kobe Bryant in 2019.Stefanie Keenan/Getty
Daughter Natalia also shared abeautiful and heartbreakingpicture of herself and her father sitting courtside at what appeared to be a basketball game. “Daddy! ♥️,” she wrote in the caption. She also noted that she did not know who snapped the adorable picture, but she was hoping to find out.
“8.23.78 You were born for greatness. ❤️ Happy birthday Bean!#44,” she wrote accompanying a carousel of images of the siblings. “‘A lot of people say they want to be great, but they’re not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness.’ - KB.”
The post included photos spanning years in the siblings' lives.
Sharia Washington/Instagram
Earlier this year, Vanessashared an old photoof the couple in honor of their 21st wedding anniversary.
In March 2021, Vanessatold PEOPLEthat her daughters help her “smile through the pain” and give her strength amid heartbreak and grief.
“This pain is unimaginable [but] you just have to get up and push forward. Lying in bed crying isn’t going to change the fact that my family will never be the same again. But getting out of bed and pushing forward is going to make the day better for my girls and for me. So that’s what I do,” she said.
Speaking about “finding the light in darkness,” Vanessa also shared how her late daughter and husband’s legacies live on. “The best way to describe it is that Kobe and Gigi motivate me to keep going. They inspire me to try harder and be better every day. Their love is unconditional and they motivate me in so many different ways,” she said.
The basketball legend’s birthday comes amid Vanessa’s ongoing lawsuit against L.A. County, who she issuing for emotional distress and mental anguishregarding leaked graphic images following the2020 fatal helicoptercrash that killed her husband, their daughter Gianna and seven others.
source: people.com
