After the holiday celebrations with their loved ones and welcoming 2020, Kobe Bryant and his family were planning what was going to be the best year of their lives. However, on January 26, fate cruelly tore the family apart.
Kobe and his daughter Gianna 'Gigi' Maria were traveling with five other people on the helicopter that crashed in Calabasas, California, where all passengers perished. The former Los Angeles Lakers player was 41 years old, and the teenager was 13 years old.
His widow, Vanessa (43), was devastated. But she had to find strength where there was none to raise their other three daughters: Natalia 'Nani' Diamante (23), Bianka Bella (9), and Capri (6), whom their father affectionately called Koko. They all live in a nearly 9 million euro mansion in Newport Coast (California).
At the time of his death, Kobe's fortune was estimated at 680 million dollars (almost 570 million euros at the current exchange rate), making him one of the seven athletes worth over 1 billion dollars (over 835 million euros), and at one point, his venture capital firm had assets worth 2 billion dollars (over 1.67 billion euros).
All the money and properties went to Vanessa, who has been leading the various businesses over the past six years to preserve the legacy, especially through the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation. Last summer, they launched a beautiful initiative with the release of a book with images by Andrew D. Bernstein showcasing over 100 public murals in Los Angeles and other cities around the world dedicated to Kobe and Gianna. Both were strong advocates for women's sports.
Kobe's last wishes sparked a fierce battle between Vanessa and the other relatives of the double Olympic gold medalist from the Beijing and London Olympics to see who would get a larger share of the pie.
Although it's hard to fill the voids, Vanessa has had moments of great happiness since Kobe's passing. For example, their eldest daughter, Natalia, graduated Cum Laude from the USC School of Cinematic Arts because she wants to pursue a career in film. She once said, "If anyone says that being a full-time student isn't hard, they're lying because it is. That, in itself, is a full-time job."
In 2024, the young woman made her debut as a model walking for Versace at Milan Fashion Week. She is also an influencer with nearly three million followers on Instagram.
Bianka was only 4 years old when she lost her dad. Pau Gasol (45), Kobe's close friend, taught the little girl the ropes of being a basketball player. The former Catalan player was deeply affected when he heard the news, so when his first daughter was born, he decided to pay tribute by naming his eldest daughter Elisabet Gianna (5).
The youngest in the family, Capri, was less than a year old when the accident happened. She barely has memories of her father and sister, but Vanessa ensures that their love for them never fades. That's why they often look at photos and videos where the matriarch talks to them about the virtues of their father.