Vanessa Bryant was moved to tears over her late daughter’s inclusion in this year’s WNBA draft.
Gianna Bryant and her late basketball teammates, Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester, were selected as honorary draft picks in the league’s virtual draft on April 17. The girls were among the nine victims in a Jan. 26 helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., which also took the life of Gianna’s father and Vanessa’s husband, NBA legend Kobe Bryant.
In a taped video message played during the draft, Vanessa thanked the organization for shining a light on Gigi, who had long dreamt of the day she would play for the WNBA.
“Thank you so much for honoring my Gigi and selecting her to be an honorary draft pick this year. It would have been a dream come true for her. She worked tirelessly every single day. She wanted to be one of the greatest athletes of all time, just like her daddy. So, thank you. Thank you for honoring my little girl,” she said.
While recording the video, Vanessa wore a token of Kobe’s love for women’s basketball.
“Kobe and Gigi loved the WNBA. This is his sweatshirt,” she said, gesturing to the cozy orange hoodie she had on.
“I want to congratulate all this year’s draft picks, so congratulations,” she continued.
Vanessa then gave the ladies a few words of wisdom, inspired by the memory of her husband and daughter: “Work hard, never settle. Use that Mamba mentality.”
Along with her honorary draft selection, Gianna received a posthumous WNBA jersey with her last name and No. 2 on the back.
“Gianna Maria-Onor’e Bryant #GigiBryant #Mambacita #Wings You did it!” Vanessa captioned a photo of the jersey. “Mommy’s proud and happy for you mamacita! We love you Gigi! @wnba #2.”
The WNBA will be keeping Gianna’s memory alive long after draft day, too. The league also announced that it had created the Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award, which will go to “an individual or group who has made significant contributions to the visibility, perception and advancement of women’s and girls’ basketball at all levels,” according to a press release.
Vanessa will “play a large role” in picking each year’s honoree, and she and her family will announce the very first recipient during the NBA All-Star Game on Valentine’s Day 2021.
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Gianna’s special honors come four days after Mamba Day, the April 13 anniversary of Kobe’s final NBA game in 2016.
To mark the bittersweet day, Vanessa reflected on her husband’s long career and mourned that the fact that he never was fully able to reap the fruits of his labor.
“My husband worked his ass off for 20 years. Gave it his all,” she 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 worked hard and gave her all 7 days a week just like her daddy. I wish I could go 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.”
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