A number of touching tributes to Kobe and Gianna Bryant have poured in since their untimely passing, and Elle Duncan’s memorial to the legendary basketball player and his daughters has been one of the most moving to date
During her latest broadcast, the ESPN host opened up about the time she met Kobe while backstage at an ESPN event in New York. When she approached Kobe for a photo, he immediately noticed her pregnant belly and excitedly inquired about the baby’s gender. Duncan said it was a girl, to which he responded, “Girls are the best.”
She asked him for advice about raising girls since he himself had three daughters at the time. Duncan said Kobe's wife Vanessa "really wanted to try again for a boy," but was "jokingly" worried it would be another girl "And I was like, ‘four girls, are you joking? What would you think? How would you feel?’”Duncan said. “Without hesitation, he said ‘I would have five more girls if I could. I’m a girl dad.’”
The video and hashtag #girldad has since started trending on Twitter, and resonating with people all over.
On Tuesday, Duncan took to Twitter to share how touched she was by the response to her story: “I’m so moved by the outpouring of support behind my story about Kobe," she said. "And I love that #girldad is trending.. so for all those proud fathers who still have their girls to love on can you flood my timeline with pics of you and your flock. Honestly I need it as much as anyone rt now.”
Kobe and Gianna died on Sunday when their helicopter crashed near Calabasas. The father and daughter were among nine passengers, none of whom survived.
