Vanessa Bryant Shares Emotional Tribute to Kobe on Mamba Day: 'Life Truly Isn't Fair'
Vanessa Bryant paid tribute to her late husband, Kobe Bryant, on a special day for the basketball legend.
Kobe played his final NBA game against the Utah Jazz on April 13, 2016, and since then, April 13 has been designated "Mamba Day" for his fans, referencing his famous nickname. On Monday, Vanessa took to her Instagram to share a heartfelt message acknowledging Kobe's 20-year NBA career as a Los Angeles Laker and posted a video of highlights from his last game.
Vanessa talked about Kobe just beginning to enjoy his retirement with her and their four daughters before he tragically died due to a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 alongside their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven other victims.
"My husband worked his a** off for 20 years. Gave it his all," Vanessa wrote. "All he wanted was to spend time with our girls and me to make up for lost time. He wanted to be there for every single milestone and special moment in our girls lives. He only got to enjoy 3 years and 9 months of retirement."
"We had 2 more daughters, he won an Oscar, he opened Granity studios, he became a 5x best selling author and coached Gianna’s basketball team in that time," she continued. "She worked hard and gave her all 7 days a week just like her daddy. I wish I could back to that morning, every day. I wish they had a normal local game on 1/26. Life truly isn’t fair. This is just senseless."
Despite Vanessa's unimaginable heartbreak, she has been determined to remain strong for her three daughters -- 17-year-old Natalia, 3-year-old Bianka and 9 month-old Capri. On Sunday, Vanessa shared photos of them celebrating Easter together.
A source told ET in February that 37-year-old Vanessa was "overwhelmed" by the love and support she and her family received during his emotional memorial that was held at the Staples Center on Feb. 24. Since then, she has been sharing heartfelt tributes to both Kobe and Gianna on her Instagram.
"Vanessa knows the grieving process will be long and hard but [the] tribute helped her and her family during a rough time," the source said.
For the latest on the Bryant family, watch the video below:
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