Vanessa Bryant Remains Single After Kobe and Gigi Bryant’s Tragic Death, and Their Love Story Still Gives Us Goosebumps
3 years after the tragic death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi, many people still get emotional talking about it. But his love for his wife, Vanessa, remains solid. Vanessa has paid so many tributes to her NBA legend husband over the past 3 years, and each time we can feel that there are things that even death cannot erase.
Their feelings have endured through the years.
Vanessa and Kobe Bryant’s love story might deserve its own book. The couple met as young adults and built a happy family together until the basketball star died tragically in a helicopter crash in January 2020. Their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was also on the helicopter with her dad. The couple share 4 kids, all girls: Natalia, Gianna, Bianka, and Capri.
When they met, Kobe had just entered his 20s and was coming into his own as a budding NBA star and member of the Los Angeles Lakers. He dreamed of launching a rap career aside from being a professional basketball player and even tried to enter the music industry circles. It was there where he met his future wife, Vanessa. She received massive bouquets of roses, and Kobe also picked her up from school in his posh car.
After Kobe’s tragic death, Vanessa would recall that Kobe sent her a sweet text and mentioned how he wanted to spend time together, just the 2 of them because she was his best friend first. And she admitted they never got the chance to do it.
Their marriage had its highs and lows, but survived through everything.
Their engagement was announced at one of Vanessa’s birthday parties. Shortly after they wed, she brilliantly took on the role of an NBA star’s wife, attending all his games and accompanying Kobe everywhere at events.
Nearly 2 years after they were married, the couple welcomed their first child, daughter Natalia, in January of 2003, and later Kobe’s real soulmate, daughter Gianna, was born.
The duo had a rough patch in 2013 when Vanessa filed for divorce. But later, she announced some good news: “Our divorce action will be dismissed. We are looking forward to our future together.”
That future included 2 more daughters — Bianka, born in 2016, and Capri, in 2019. And the happy parents loved to dream of how their daughters would grow up. Vanessa recalls, “We talked about how we would be the fun grandparents to our daughters’ children. He would have been the coolest grandpa.”
Vanessa revealed how much Kobe really meant to his family.
After the helicopter crash, Vanessa delivered a powerful speech at the memorial for Kobe and her daughter Gigi. She said, “He was my sweet husband and the beautiful father of my children. He was mine. He was my everything. 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.”
Vanessa pointed out Kobe’s fatherly love and parenting skills, saying, “Kobe was the MVP of girl dads or MVD. He never left the toilet seat up. He always told the girls how beautiful and smart they were. He taught them how to be brave and how to keep pushing forward when things get tough.”
And Kobe’s bond with his daughter Gianna was the sweetest; it crowned Vanessa and Kobe’s love in the best way possible. Vanessa says, “They were so easy to love. Everybody naturally gravitated toward them. They were funny, happy, silly, and they loved life. They were so full of joy and adventure.”