Vanessa Bryant is honoring her late husband and 13-year-old daughter in a special way.
On Sunday, the 37-year-old star took to Instagram to share a heartfelt picture of her 17-year-old daughter, Natalia Diamante Bryant.
“my babies,” Vanessa simply captioned her post, alongside a picture of her baby girl looking all glammed up in a blue polka dot dress. “Natalia #winterformal.”
Making the moment even more special for the mother-daughter duo? Natalia stood in front of a mural that paid tribute to Kobe Bryant and Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant.
While many murals have popped up in recent months to honor the late Lakers icon and his 13-year-old daughter, the one Natalia posed in front of was an image of the two at a basketball game.
In the painting, Kobe is kissing Gianna on the forehead, as she smiles from ear-to-ear.
It was just two weeks ago that Vanessa shared a touching tribute to her loved ones at the Kobe and Gianna public memorial service, which was held at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.
“First, I’d like to thank everyone for coming today,” Vanessa began her moving eulogy on Feb. 24. “The outpouring of love and support that my family has felt from around the world has been so uplifting. Thank you so much for all your prayers. I’d like to talk about both Kobe and Gigi. I’ll start with my baby girl Gianna Bryant, an amazingly sweet and gentle soul.”
Of her husband, she said they were over-the-moon in love. She praised him not only as her life partner, but as a father, businessman and friend.
“He was mine. He was my everything. Kobe and I had been together since I was 17.5 years old. I was his first girlfriend, his first love, his wife, his best friend, his confidante and his protector,” she expressed. “He was the most amazing husband. Kobe loved me more than I could ever express or put into words. He was the early bird and I was the night owl. I was fire and he was ice, and vice versa at times.”
She continued, “We balanced each other out. He would do anything for me. I have no idea how I deserved a man that loved and wanted me more than Kobe. He was charismatic, a gentleman. He was loving, adoring and romantic. He was truly the romantic one in our relationship.”
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“He was thoughtful and wrote the best love letters and cards, and Gigi had his wonderful ability to express feelings on to paper and make you feel her love through her words,” Vanessa revealed. “She was thoughtful like him. They were so easy to love. Everyone naturally gravitated toward them. They were funny, happy, silly, and they loved life. They were so full of joy and adventure.”:
“God knew they couldn’t be on this Earth without each other,” she added. “He had to bring them home to have them together. Babe, you take care of our Gigi. I got Nata, Bebe and KoKo. We love and miss you, boo and Gigi. May you both rest in peace, have fun in heaven until we meet again one day. We love you both and miss you forever and always. Mommy.”
The celebration of Kobe and Gianna’s life came nearly a month after they passed away in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif. They, along with passengers Christina Mauser, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester and pilot Ara Zobayan, tragically died in the accident.
Despite them not being here, it’s clear Kobe and Gigi’s memory lives on.