Vanessa Bryant Speaks At Celebration of Life for Kobe and Gianna Bryant

First I would like to thank everyone for coming today. The outpouring of love and support my family has felt from around the world has been so uplifting. Thank you very much for all your prayers. I'd like to talk about Coby and Gigi. I'll start with my girl first. My girl Gianna Bryant is an incredibly sweet and gentle soul. She was always considerate. She always kissed me good night and good morning. There were a few times when she was absolutely tired of being up with Bianca and Capri and I thought she had left for school without saying goodbye.

She wrote to him and said no kiss and Gianna responded with mom. I kissed you but you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you up, she knew how much her morning and evening kisses meant. with me and she was so attentive remembering to kiss me every day, she was daddy's girl, but I know she loved her mom and she always told me and showed me how much she loved me, she was one of my best friends, she loved me. baking loved to make everyone smile last August she made a beautiful birthday cake for her dad it had fondant and looked like it had blue agate crystals Kobe's birthday cake looked professionally decorated she made the best chocolate chip cookies she loved watching shows of cooking and Cupcake Wars with me and loved watching survival and MBA games on TV with his dad.

She also loved watching Disney movies with her sisters. Gigi was very competitive like her dad, but Gianna had a sweet grace, her smile was like sunlight. the smile took up her entire face like mine Kobe always said she was me she had my fire my personality and sarcasm she was tender and loving on the inside she had the best laugh she was contagious she was pure and genuine Kobe and Gianna naturally gravitated towards each other Another addition was Kobe's ability to listen to a song and memorize all the lyrics after listening to the song a few times.

It was her secret talent. She was an incredible athlete. She excelled at gymnastics, soccer, softball, dance and basketball. She was an amazing dancer. She also loved swimming, dancing, doing cartwheels and jumping in our pool and Gigi loved her tik-tok dances. Gigi was confident, but not in an arrogant way. She loved helping and teaching other people things at school. She would offer the children's basketball coaches to help give. the men's basketball team some tips like the triangle offense she was a lot like her dad and they both liked helping people learn new things and master them they were great teachers gigi was very sweet she always made sure everyone was okay she was Our pastor always kept our family together.

She loved family traditions. Family movie and game nights during the holidays were important to her. Did you always take care of everyone? She was very in tune with our feelings. She wanted the best for us. Gianna was smart. She knew how. she read, spoke and wrote Mandarin, knew Spanish, had excellent grades and maintained them while becoming an incredible basketball player, was school spirit president on the student council, was assistant director of her school play, as was her sister older, she was looking forward to graduating from eighth grade and moving on to high school with her older sister Natalia.

I am very happy that they gave her the opportunity to know that she was accepted into the same high school. She was very happy. Gianna made us all proud and she still does. Gianna never. She tried to conform, she was always herself, she was a good person, a leader, a teacher who wore a white t-shirt, black leggings, a jean jacket, white converse and a flannel tied around her waist with straight hair, she was his favorite style, he had so much. style and rhythm since I was a baby she gave the best hugs and the best kisses she had beautiful soft lips like her daddy she hugged me and hugged me so tight I could feel she loved me I loved the way she looked at me while she hugged me It was like she was soaking me completely we love each other so much I miss her so much she was so energetic I couldn't keep up with her energy she licked me and Natalia on a track once she was around six years old we let her have a head start she still the best hmm.

I miss her sweet kisses. I miss her cleverness. I miss her sarcasm, her wit, and that adorable, sly side smile followed by a smile and a laugh. We share the same cat. that ate the canary's smile Gigi was sunshine, she brightened my day every day. I miss looking at her beautiful face. She was always so good at following the rules. I knew I could always count on her to do the right thing. She was the most loving, thoughtful daughter. little sister and silly big sister, she would happily help carry the small diaper bag or play with them. she liked to help me with Bianca and Capri.

Bianca loved going to the playground, swimming, and jumping on the trampoline with Gigi. I used to tell Gigi that I thought Koko considered her her favorite sister Capri smiled from ear to ear when Gigi walked into the room and Capri reminds me a lot of

gianna

they look alike and they just smile with their whole face pure joy we won't be able to see Gigi go to high school with Natalia and ask her how her day was, we didn't get a chance to teach her how to drive a car, I won't be able to tell her how beautiful she looks on her wedding day, I'll never get to see my baby walk. at the altar have a father daughter dance with her dad dance on the dance floor with me or have her own babies Gianna would have been an amazing mom, she was very motherly since she was very little, Gigi probably would have become the best .

WNBA player would have made a big difference would have made a big difference for women's basketball gigi was motivated to change the way everyone viewed women in sports wrote papers at school defending women and wrote about how the difference Unequal pay between the NBA and WNBA leagues was not fair and I truly feel she made positive changes for WNBA players. She now says they knew Gigi's goal was to play in the WNBA. I am still very proud of Gianna, she made a difference and was kind to everyone. that she met during the 13 years she was here on earth, her classmates shared with us many good memories about Gianna and those stories reminded me that Gianna loved and showed everyone that no act of kindness is too small to make a difference in someone's

life

. she always always always considered others in her feelings she was a beautiful, kind, happy, silly, thoughtful and loving daughter and sister, she was so full of

life

and had so much more to offer this world.

I can't imagine life without her mom Natalia Bianca Capri and her dad 11 Very much Gigi, I will miss your sweet handmade cards, your sweet kisses and your beautiful smile. I miss you all every day, it's okay. Oh, for my soulmate, mm-hmm, Kobe was known as a fierce competitor on the basketball court, the greatest of all time. Oscar winning writer and the black mamba but to me he was Coco my booboo my baby boo my daddy cool I was his VB his principessa his Queen his Queen mom Mamba and his fabulous key whiskey meniscus I couldn't see him as a celebrity or just a incredible basketball player, he was my sweet husband and the beautiful father of our children, he was mine, he was my everything.

Kobe and I have been together since he was 17 and a half years old. I was his first girlfriend, his first love, his wife. best friend, his confidant and his protector, he was the most incredible husband. Kobe loved me more than I could express or put into words, he was the early riser and I was an idol, I was fire and he was ice and vice versa, sometimes we balanced each other. Other than that, he would do anything for me. I have no idea how I deserved a man to love and care for me more than Kobe.

He was charismatic, a gentleman, he loved, he adored and he was romantic. He was truly the romantic one in our relationship and he looked forward to Valentine's Day. Day and our anniversaries each year, he planned special anniversary trips and a special traditional gift for each year of our marriage. He even made my most precious gifts. He simply thought outside the box, so he was very considerate even as he worked hard to be the best athlete. he gave me the real notebook and the blue dress that rachel mcadams wore in the notebook movie when i asked him why he chose the blue dress he said it was because it's a scene where ali gets back with noah and we were hoping to grow old together like the movie we really had an incredible love story we loved each other with all our being two perfectly imperfect people raising a beautiful family and raising our sweet and amazing girls a couple of weeks before they passed away Cobie sent me a sweet text message.

I mentioned how I wanted to spend time together just the two of us without our kids because I'm his best friend first, we never had the chance to do that, we were busy taking care of our daughters and just doing our everyday responsibilities, but I'm grateful to have that. recent text means a lot to me Kobe wanted us to renew our vows he wanted Natalia to take over his company and he wanted to travel the world together we had always talked about how we would be fun grandparents to our daughters' children that he would be He has been the grandfather More cool.

Kobe was the MVP of Girl Dad's or MBD. He never left the toilet lid up. He always told the girls how beautiful and smart they are. He taught them to be brave and to keep going when things get tough. when Kobe retired from the NBA he took over dropping off and picking up our girls from school since I was at home pregnant with Bianca and recently nursing Capri at home when Kobe was still playing he used to arrive an hour early to be the first in line to pick up Audion Gianna meth from school and told him he couldn't drop the ball.

Governor, he was late once and we definitely let him know that I was never late, so he was an hour and 20 minutes early after that. he always knew there was room for improvement and wanted to do better. He happily carpooled and enjoyed spending time in the car with our daughters. He was a loving father, a practical and present father. He helped me bathe Bianca and Capri almost every day. At night he would sing silly songs to them in the shower and continue making them laugh and smile while he lathered lotion on them and got them ready for bed.

He had magical arms and could put Capri to sleep in just a few minutes. He said he had it all. a science eight times down our hallway loved wearing Bianca in fashion. I go to see her play in the koi pond area and I love taking her to her park. Her most recent visit to the koi pond was the night before he and Gigi stopped by. he shared a love of movies and movie breakdowns with Natalia, he enjoyed renting movie theaters and taking Athaliah to see the newest Star Wars movie or the Harry Potter movies and they had movie marathons and he loved every second, he also loved his typical tears.

He liked to watch stepmother's steel magnolias and Little Women had a tender heart, somehow Coby knew where I was at all times, specifically when I was late for his games, he would worry about me if I wasn't in my seat at the beginning of the game. game and asked security where he was the first time after the first quarter and my know-it-all told him he wasn't going to lose 81 points in the first 10 minutes of the game. I think anyone with kids understands that. Sometimes we can't get out on time and he eventually got used to my tardiness and realized he could play at an intense professional level and still be concerned about making sure we got to the game safely. just another example of how family came first for him.

He loved being Gianna's basketball coach. He told me that he wished he had convinced Natalia to play basketball so they could spend even more time together, but he also wanted her to follow his own passion. He watched Natalya play in a volleyball tournament on her birthday on January 19 and noted that she is a very intelligent player. He was convinced that he would have made a great card with his court vision and told me that he wanted Bianca and Capri to pick up a basketball when they grew up so he could spend as much time with them as he did with Gigi and Kobe always told them to Bianca and Capri who were going to grow up and play basketball and mingle now that they won't have their dad and sister are here to teach them and that's really a loss.

I don't understand it, but I'm so grateful that Kobe heard Coco say that daddy wasn't going to be here to drop Bianca Capri off at pre-K or kindergarten. He won't be here to tell me to check on V when we have to leave the kindergarten classroom or show up for our daughter's doctor visits for my own moral support. He will not be able to accompany our girls to the altar. or spin around on the dance floor while they sing PYT to me, but I want my daughters to know and remember the incredible person, husband and father, he was the kind of man who wanted to teach future generations to be better and prevent them from doing yours. own mistakes, he always liked to work and do projects to improve the lives of children, he taught us all valuable lessons about life and sports through hisMBA career, his books, the details of his show and his puny x podcast series and we are so grateful that he left those lessons and stories behind us he was thoughtful and wrote the best love letters and cards and Gigi had her wonderful ability to express her feelings and pay paper and make you feel her love through her words she was thoughtful like him they were so easy to love everyone naturally gravitated towards them they were fun happy silly and loved life they were so full of joy and adventure god I knew they couldn't be on this earth without each other I had to bring them home to have them together honey, you take care of us Chichi and I have a babysitter baby and Coco we are still the best team, we love you and we miss you boo-boo and Gigi can rest in peace and have fun in heaven until we meet again one day, we love you both and miss you forever. always mommy