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Time flies but true legends don’t die. It’s been 4 years since Kobe Bryant said goodbye to the world. One of the greatest players in the history of the NBA, he spent his entire career of 20 years playing for the Los Angeles Lakers being the Black Mamba. The poem he wrote on his retirement still echoes in our hearts as a symbol of his everlasting mark in the realm of basektball –

“My heart can take the pounding. My mind can handle the grind. But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye. And that’s OK. I’m ready to let you go. I want you to know now. So we both can savor every moment we have left together. The good and the bad. We have given each other all that we have.”

Remembering the legend on this day, here’s a little something he passed on for us to keep forever.

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Kobe Bryant on passing on his mamba mentality to Gigi

In a resurfaced video on Instagram, Kobe Bryant is talking about Gigi’s savage response to Kobe’s fans asking him to have a boy to continue his legacy in the NBA. He was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel’s TV show ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’. Jimmy asked Kobe, “Do you think your daughter might wanna play in the WNBA?” and to this, Kobe gave a hilarious reply.

via Getty

He goes “She does, for sure she does. I know it means. This kid man best thing that happens is when we go out and fans will come up to me and she’ll be standing next to me and they be like – hey you gotta have a boy, you and V gotta have a boy man, somebody to carry on the tradition, the legacy. She like – OI, I got this! Don’t need a boy for that, I got this. I’m like, that’s right, yes you do, you got this”

 

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This response from Gigi truly reflects why she is referred to as Mambacita, which symbolizes her inherited talent for the sport and the Mamba Mentality she embraced. Notably, Gigi was a member of her father’s club team known as ‘The Mambas’. According to her teammates, she was the kind of player who never backed down in the face of a challenge.

Along with inheriting her father’s mindset, Gigi also played like Kobe. She made a magnificent impact on basketball as she aimed to create a more inclusive and better future for the sport.

Read More: The Legend of Kobe Bryant

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To this day, her legacy shines on as an inspiration to her teammates and the basketball community.

Gigi aspired to be a UConn

A big fan of the University, Gigi always dreamt of being a UConn Husky. These aspirations were well known that the UConn’s women’s basketball team honored her by creating a special No.2 embalzoned jersey which was laid next to a bouquet consisting of white roses and daisies ties in a blue bow.

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With this geture, the team also declared her ‘forever a Husky’, giving a heartfelt tribute to Gigi’s love for the game and dream to be a Husky.