Getty Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna.
In what is now a moving and heartbreaking video, Kobe Bryant brimmed with pride as he spoke to Jimmy Kimmel about his daughter Gianna Bryant’s desire to fulfill his legacy on the basketball court. Gianna perished with her father in a helicopter crash.
Kobe spoke in the video previously, which you can view below, about how Gianna was poised to carry on his legacy, quoting the girl as saying, “I got this,” when people said it was too bad Kobe didn’t have a boy to do so:
This clip is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. ❤️
In that video, Jimmy Kimmel asks: “You think your daughter might want to play in the WNBA?”
Kobe, beaming with pride, responded, “She does for sure. This kid, man.”
“Wouldn’t that be great?” Kimmel said.
“Dude, man, I’ll tell you. The best thing that happens is when we go out, and fans will come up to me, and she will be standing next to me, and they will be like, ‘Hey, you gotta have a boy, you and Vi gotta have a boy, man, someone to carry on the tradition and the legacy,’ and she goes, ‘I got this,'” Kobe said.
Kobe then continued, as if talking to his little girl: “Yes, that’s right. Yes, you do, you got this.”
NBA star Kobe Bryant’s daughter Gianna Bryant died with her dad in the tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, according to TMZ Sports.
The entertainment site broke the news and reported the tragic detail that Kobe’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna Maria Onore was also on board the helicopter and died in the crash. The site attributed the information about Kobe’s daughter to his reps.
TMZ further reported that Kobe’s wife Vanessa Bryant wasn’t onboard the aircraft. The cause of the crash is not yet clear. No one survived the fatal crash.
Here’s what you need to know:
Kobe & His Daughter Were Heading to Basketball Practice at a Local Academy; He Was Her Coach
GettyGianna Bryant and her father, former NBA player Kobe Bryant, attend the WNBA All-Star Game 2019 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on July 27, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
According to TMZ, Bryant and his daughter were heading to the Mamba Academy for basketball practice in Thousand Oaks. ESPN reported that the father and daughter were going to a “travel basketball game.”
Kobe spoke to SLAM about coaching Gianna, who was known as Gigi. The site reported in March 2019 that Gianna and her AAU team “practice under his tutelage five times a week.”
This is how SLAM described one of Bryant’s coaching sessions with Gigi and the other girls: “They focused on their ability to finish around the rim, plus footwork and handles. At least twice, Bryant stopped everything and provided the entire team with a Detail-level lesson on ball movement and spacing.”
Like her dad, Gianna was a talented basketball player. In May, Bckonline reported that Kobe was coaching his daughter’s basketball team.
To SLAM, Kobe said: “The girls are making incredible progress. Just wait until you see us in six years. I have a year-by-year plan for them. We are going to keep adding pieces on a schedule I’ve already mapped out.”
“No 🧢, I own it, my name, you know the name!! “ 💪🏽😱
13 y/o Gianna Bryant!! ⛹🏽♀️
@kobebryant @MambaSportsHQ
#ballislife
A highlight video, which you can see above, was shared on Twitter. The site reported: “She owns the court just like her father!”
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