On the night of the Laker's tribute game for Kobe Bryant, the NBA legend's widow, Vanessa Bryant, shared a touching Instagram post honoring her late husband their daughter, Gianna.
"There is no #24 without #2," Vanessa captioned the image, which showed Kobe and Gianna's respective jerseys displayed at the Staples Center. "❤️#GirlDaddy #DaddysGirl #MyBabies ❤️❤️ #OurAngels #KobeandGigi."
Friday night's televised tribute ceremony, called Remembering Kobe, coincided with the Lakers-Trail Blazers match-up in Los Angeles Friday night. It marked the Lakers' first game since Kobe, Gianna, and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas. The Staples Center event included performances by Usher, Boyz II Men, Charlie Puth, and Wiz Khalifa, as well as a heartfelt speech by LeBron James.
The Lakers star began by reading off the names of everyone who died in the crash, including college baseball coach John Altobelli; his wife, Keri Altobelli; their daughter Alyssa Altobelli; basketball coach Christina Mauser; Sarah Chester; her daughter Payton Chester; and pilot Ara Zobayan. After reading off the names, James tossed his pre-written speech and spoke straight from the heart.
"I just decided that for me, personally, just to let the words flow from the heart," James said about his speech in a post-game interview. "... It's all truth to it. So, it just happened spur of the moment."
Vanessa and her three daughters did not attend Friday night's game or tribute ceremony.
The 37-year-old mother, who was married to Bryant for nearly two decades, opened up about the tragedy via Instagram several days ago.
"They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon," she captioned a family photo. "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."
