Vanessa Bryant reflected on her late daughter Gianna on what would have been her 14th birthday.
“Happy 14th Birthday to my sweet baby girl, Gianna. Mommy loves you more than I can ever show you,” Bryant captioned a May 1 post on Instagram. “You are part of MY SOUL forever. I miss you so much everyday. I wish I could wake up and have you here with me. I miss your smile, your hugs and your giggles. I miss EVERYTHING about YOU, Gigi. I LOVE YOU so much!!!!!!!”
Gianna and her father, Kobe Bryant, were among the nine people who were killed in a helicopter crash Jan. 26 in Calabasas, California. Gianna was 13 years old. Kobe Bryant was 41.
In another Instagram post, Vanessa Bryant also asked her followers to consider wearing red today in celebration of her late daughter. The post included images of a red rubberband bracelet that read “Gigi Bryant” and “Mambacita,” Gigi’s nickname.
“Gianna loved to wear a red bow in all of her school pictures. Red means love and life,” she captioned the post. “To commemorate Gigi’s birthday today, please consider wearing red, caption an act of kindness or show how you will play Gigi’s way since she always gave everything she did her all and led with kindness. Please use the hashtag #PlayGigisWay.”
Gigi was an honorary draft pick during the 2020 WNBA Draft on April 17 along with Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester, teenagers who were among the helicopter passengers in the crash.
