Vanessa Bryant is finding the strength to cope with the deaths of husband Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant through the power of her love for her surviving children.
The NBA icon and retired Los Angeles Lakers star’s widow posted on her Instagram page on Saturday a sweet video of 7-month-old Capri Kobe Bryant, the youngest of the couple’s four daughters, learning to stand up with the help of her aunt. Capri, aka Koko, gurgles and grins as she masters the move.
“Good job! Good girl, mamacita! Wanna do it again?” Vanessa asks the child.
“My Koko Bean,” she captioned the clip. “She looks just like my Gigi. ☀️❤️auntie Ri-Ri. #7months.”
Kobe spent much of his childhood in the ’80s in Italy, where his father played pro basketball, and was fluent in Italian. He and Vanessa gave their daughters Italian names and he often called his wife “mamacita,” which is also the nickname the two sometimes used for their kids. In addition to Capri, Kobe was also a father to Natalia, 17, and Bianka, 3.
Kobe and Gianna, 13, died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California earlier this month, along with seven other people.
A public memorial at Staples Center, home of the Lakers, is set to take place on February 24—a nod to Kobe’s jersey number.
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