Publications
Partners
Cape Town – Vanessa Bryant has broken her silence following the death of her husband, basketball legend Kobe Bryant, and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna.
On Sunday, news broke that after leaving church and while on their way to a youth basketball game, their helicopter crashed. The accident that happened in Calabasas, California, claimed nine lives.
"My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time. Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them," Vanessa wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.
SEE VANESSA'S FULL POST HERE:
"We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. “We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately.
"There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now," she added. "I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon."
"I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them," she continued. "But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless — and that’s to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever."
Vanessa thanked the public once again for their outpouring of love and support, before asking for privacy during this difficult time.
She concluded her statement with announcing a new foundation in honour of her daughter and husband.
"To honour our Team Mamba family, the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund to help support the other families affected by this tragedy. To donate, please go to MambaOnThree.org. To further Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports, please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org.
Team Mamba, Mamba Sports Foundation and now MambaOnThree, are all nods to Kobe’s nickname. The 41-year-old was affectionately known as "The Black Mamba".
In December last year, just a month before his daughter’s tragic death the NBA giant reportedly filed to trademark Gianna’s nickname, who was set to follow in his footsteps. Gianna was affectionately called "Mambacita".
READ NEXT: Kobe Bryant and wife promised to 'never fly on a helicopter together'
