Vanessa Bryant with her youngest daughters, Bianka and Capri, at the Basketball Hall of Fame. AP Photo/Kathy Willens Vanessa Bryant and her daughters sat courtside as the New York Liberty played the Chicago Sky. Her youngest kids — Bianka and Capri — wore outfits honoring their late father and sister, Gigi.
After the game, the quartet went to dinner with WNBA superstars Sabrina Ionescu and Candace Parker. The WNBA hosted some special guests at the Barclays Center this weekend. Vanessa Bryant and her daughters — Natalia, Bianka, and Capri — sat courtside in Brooklyn to watch Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty take down Candace Parker’s Chicago Sky on Saturday.
The youngest kids were both outfitted in clothing honoring their late father, NBA legend Kobe Bryant, and sister, Gigi. Five-year-old Bianka wore a vintage Los Angeles Lakers championship T-shirt, while 3-year-old Capri wore Gigi’s “Team Mamba” black-and-white AAU jersey under a purple-and-old jacket with a photo of her father and sister on the back. Vanessa Bryant and her daughters attend a Liberty-Sky game.
Vanessa Bryant/InstagramIonescu and Parker are both close friends of the Bryant family, with both WNBA superstars sharing bonds with the late Lakers superstar and his basketball-loving daughter before a tragic helicopter accident took their lives in 2020. After Ionescu — a third-year point guard for the Liberty — secured a home win with a late-game and-1, she immediately ran over to the Bryants to celebrate. —SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 24, 2022—YES Network (@YESNetwork) July 24, 2022 Both stars joined Vanessa, Natalia, Bianka, and Capri for dinner following the game, according to photos they posted on Instagram.
Parker joked in her caption that it’s “Always so much fun seeing my people! . . .
(Even if [Ionescu] hit the game winner on us). “The 2021 WNBA champion also led the youngest Bryants in a round of jumping jacks: A post shared by Candace Parker (@candaceparker) Kobe Bryant was a vocal supporter of the WNBA. The five-time NBA champion frequently mentored budding stars in the women’s league — including Ionescu.
He became increasingly involved as Gigi, dubbed “Mambacita” after her father, expressed interest in playing professional basketball herself. The father-daughter duo had attended several WNBA and women’s college basketball games together in the years before their deaths. Kobe and Gigi Bryant (right) greet Nneka Ogwumike (left) at the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game.
Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty ImagesGiven Gigi’s interest in the league, the WNBA honored her and two of her “Team Mamba” teammates who also died in the helicopter crash with emotional honorary selections in the 2020 WNBA Draft. Throughout the 2020 season, players joined the league in honoring Kobe and Gigi’s memory with bracelets, moments of silence, custom sneakers, and more. Bianka and Capri are still too young to have established themselves as budding basketball stars.
But should they show an interest in their dad’s sport down the line, they’ll have plenty of familiar faces ready to welcome them into the WNBA. Read the original article on Insider.
From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/vanessa-bryant-daughters-honor-kobe-gigi-courtside-wnba-game-2022-7
