Vanessa Bryant Helps Daughter Natalia Put On Kobe Bryant’s Hall Of Fame Jacket Ahead Of Induction Ceremony

Kobe Bryant’s oldest child is paying him a fitting tribute.

Natalia Bryant posed with mom Vanessa Bryant at the Tip-Off Celebration and Awards Gala on Friday, one day ahead of the late athlete’s induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. The mother-daughter duo received Kobe’s ring and red Hall of Fame jacket, the latter of which Natalia wore in his honor.

Vanessa helped the 18-year-old put on the garment and the pair commemorated the moment while smiling for photos together at the event as the crowd reportedly chanted “Kobe, Kobe.”

On behalf of inductee Kobe Bryant, Vaness Bryant and Natalia Bryant poses for a portrait during the Class of 2020 Tip-Off Celebration and Awards Gala as part of the 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony on May 14, 2021 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. Copyright 2021 NBAE (Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE via Getty Images)

Hours earlier, Vanessa reflected on Kobe and his legacy while touring his Hall of Fame exhibit, sharing a photo of herself posing next to an image of the NBA icon and revealing in her Instagram caption that Natalia took the moving snap.

“Love you always,” Vanessa wrote in her caption, alongside a red heart emoji.

Vanessa and Kobe’s two younger girls, Bianka and Capri, also joined their mom and sister to visit the display before its official opening, smiling for a pair of heartwarming pics while sporting outfits from Vanessa’s new Mambacita athleisure line, which she launched on what would have been daughter Gianna’s 15th birthday on May 1.

Kobe is included in the 2020 Hall of Fame roster alongside fellow legends Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan. According to the Los Angeles Times, Kobe will be the only NBA player besides Michael Jordan to have a special Hall of Fame exhibit dedicated in their honor.

The 600-square-foot space includes memorabilia from throughout his sports career, dating all the way back to his high school days. In addition, viewers can watch Kobe’s Oscar-winning animated short film, “Dear Basketball.”

Vanessa reportedly had a large part in helping design the tribute. Hall of Fame historian and curator Matt Zeysing told the paper why featuring Kobe’s film was an element that was especially important to her.

“Vanessa really wanted the space partly to be reflective, and so ‘Dear Basketball’ brings that part in,” he said. She wanted a space for if someone wanted to just reflect for longer than even 30 minutes that they would have the opportunity to do that.”

— Erin Biglow

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