Vanessa Bryant paid loving tribute to Gianna and Kobe Bryant at their Staples Center memorial on Monday, an emotional day in Los Angeles as a city mourned a legend gone too soon.
The wife of Kobe Bryant had remained quiet in the weeks since the tragic helicopter crash that killed nine people in California last month. But Monday’s tribute included a lengthy speech from Bryant, a tearful celebration of her late daughter and the man she called the love of her life.
https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1232019584628117505
The full memorial can be viewed here and includes performances from Beyonce and many other touching tributes. But Vanessa Bryant’s eloquent memorial in the face of tragedy will long be remembered.
“She was a beautiful kind, happy, silly, thoughtful and loving daughter and sister,” Bryant said of the daughter she lovingly called Gigi. “She was so full of life and had so much more to offer this world.”
Her emotional speech drew tears from many in the audience. The camera caught Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez crying as Vanessa spoke of her desire to play in the WNBA and advocate for equal pay in women’s sports. She drew cheers and tears, lovingly paying tribute to her daughter before moving on to the Laker legend.
https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1232022463313170432
“Kobe love me more than I could ever express or put into words,” Bryant said.
She spoke of her relationship with Bryant, the gifts he would give her and the way they built a family together.
“We loved each other with our whole beings,” she said. “Two perfectly imperfect people making a beautiful family.”
Vanessa explained how Bryant raised his daughters and how their relationship changed after retirement. She also shared a fun story about how Bryant would get worried if she wasn’t in her seats at the start of games, asking security where she was and if she was OK.
“My smart ass would tell him he wasn’t going to drop 81 points within the first 10 minutes of the game,” Bryant said, drawing laughs.
Vanessa Bryant said Kobe’s legacy will be in trying to make people better, better than he was.
“I want my daughters to know and remember the amazing person, husband and father he was,” Bryant said. “The kind of man that wanted to teach the future generations to be better and keep them from making his own mistakes.”
https://twitter.com/ComplexAmbition/status/1232020427557523461
Bryant was helped off the stage by Michael Jordan, but not before one more emotional line.
Vanessa Bryant with strength that defies words in closing her unbelievably moving remembrance: "God knew they couldn't be on this Earth without each other. He had to bring them home to heaven together"
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 24, 2020
