Vanessa Bryant marks late daughter Gigi's birthday with special posts; 'Love you always'

Vanessa Bryant and her daughter Natalia Bryant recently marked late basketball prodigy, Gianna "Gigi" Bryant's 16th birthday with heartwarming posts on social media. The mother of four, who also shares daughters Bianka and Capri with the late NBA icon Kobe Bryant posted a trail of pictures and videos of Gigi and Kobe on the basketball court, while also doing a voiceover hailing the little one. 

Meanwhile, Natalia shared a throwback photo of herself planting a kiss on Gigi's cheek as the latter smiled from ear to ear. It has been more than two years since Gigi Bryant and Kobe died in a tragic helicopter crash in California. At that time, Gigi was just months away from her 14th birthday. 

Vanessa Bryant marks late daughter Gigi Bryant's 16th birthday

Taking to her Instagram handle recently, Vanessa shared a minute-long video showcasing cartoon sketches of her late daughter as she played basketball. In the voiceover, she mentioned, "Dear Gianna, from the first time you imagined winning a WNBA championship, I knew one thing was real — you were special," and continued, "You came from greatness, but it was never about what you inherited. It was about what you gave to others."

Further remembering her daughter, she stated, "When someone stands up for gender equality, I see you standing up alongside them. And every time someone plays her hardest, I know that's you on the court. Love you always, basketball." In the caption, she wrote, "Love you always! Happy Birthday, Gianna." 

Vanessa also shared throwback glimpses of Kobe and Gianna on the field, in action, paying tribute to their passion for basketball. On the other hand, Natalie wrote, "Happy sweet sixteen my dearest Gigi. I love you to the moon and back. forever & always"

Only weeks ago on April 18, Vanessa marked what would have been her and Kobe's  21st wedding anniversary with a heartfelt Instagram post. "I love you forever, baby," she wrote and added, "Happy Anniversary @kobebryant#21". Vanessa and Nike renewed their partnership to honour Gigi and Kobe. She iterated how proud she was to see Kobe's shoes still being the most worn ones by players on NBA courts. 

(IMAGE: INSTAGRAM/ @VANESSABRYANT)