Kobe Bryant‘s wife, Vanessa Bryant, orchestrated the best birthday tribute for Gianna Bryant, who would have turned 18 on May 1! It’s still hard to believe that it’s been over four years since Kobe and his daughter Gianna tragically passed away in a helicopter crash. Remembering her daughter, Vanessa organized a special basketball camp for young aspiring players, just like Gianna. In collaboration with Nike, the camp welcomed 100 kids whose dreams are as big as Gianna’s were.

The post is captioned, “Today, we brought together over 100 boys and girls from @bgcofwhittier, @wsgvbgc, @bgclaharbor to join us at the @lakers facility for a memorable @MambaMambacitaSports Skills Academy Basketball Camp to honor my Gigi’s 18th birthday. We are grateful to our dedicated partners @nikeLA, @uscwbb, and all the coaches who made the day extra special.”

The MambaMambacitaSports Skills Academy basketball camo brought kids from the Boys and Girls Club of Whittier, LA Harbor, West San Gabriel Valley. Gianna’s sister, Natalia, was also in attendance. A special Gigi Bryant Jersey was also given to the talent chosen by Nike Coaches.

Like previous tribute collections, the businesswoman and philanthropist also organized another present in honor of her daughter. Vanessa and the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation launched a special clothing capsule collection. The sneakers edition based on Gigi’s name, “Nike Kobe 8 “Mambacita,” sees a novel edition design for the special day. 

The design includes black butterflies adorned on the shoes with a “Mambacita” logo. Gigi’s name and her jersey no. 2 rest on the heels of the shoe. Reminiscing her daughter, the mother of four also penned down a heartwarming message on her Instagram.

Vanessa Bryant’s touching Instagram post for Gianna Bryant

Bryant’s second eldest daughter was just 13 at the time of her death. But even at that age, she was filled with dreams and the same passion for the sport as her father. 

On May 1, Bryant’s wife took to her Instagram to pay homage to her little girl. She shared a nostalgic clip of Gigi along with the Los Angeles Lakers legend on the basketball courts. The post was captioned, “Happy birthday to my gorgeous girl, Gigi! I love you. I miss you. I’m so proud of you. 2024 was your year. You would’ve been graduating high school and choosing which college to go to. I would’ve been trying my hardest to convince you to stay close to home.”

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LSU Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey also posted a heartfelt message for Gianna on Instagram. After the Lakers placed a 19-foot bronze statue of Bryant wearing his No. 8 jersey, the franchise announced that there would be two more statues. As per sources, the next in line is a statue of Bryant and Gigi. The two were often spotted in WNBA and NBA games. It is to pay homage to the bond between the father and daughter.