Following the tragedic helicopter crash that took the lives of her husband Kobe Bryant and their 13-year-old daughter Gigi, Vanessa Bryant continues to find strength in their unconditional love.
“This pain is unimaginable,” Vanessa reveals to People. ” [But] you just have to get up and push forward. Lying in bed crying isn’t going to change the fact that my family will never be the same again. But getting out of bed and pushing forward is going to make the day better for my girls and for me. So that’s what I do.”
As the world mourned the loss of the legendary Lakers star and his daughter “Gigi,” the rising basketball star, Vanessa focused on rebuilding their family; Natalia, 18, Bianka, 4, and 20-month-old Capri.
She spearheaded unfinished projects at the NBA Legend’s multi-media company, Granity Studios. Also, Vanessa relaunched Kobe’s nonprofit, renaming it Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, honoring the legendary father-daughter duo. The organization is meant to empower young girls in sports and provide opportunities and support for underserved athletes.
“I guess the best way to describe it is that Kobe and Gigi motivate me to keep going,” she says. “They inspire me to try harder and be better every day. This love is unconditional, and they motivate me in so many different ways.”
Embolden by the power of love, Vanessa continues to find “the light in the darkness.”
Although resilient, Vanessa admits that at times her strength wavers.
“I can’t say that I’m strong every day,” she confesses. “I can’t say that there aren’t days when I feel like I can’t survive to the next.”
Even on the darkest days following the accident, one fact stays true for Vanessa, her devotion to her girls.
“I want to make Kobe, Gigi, Natalia, Bianka and Capri proud,” she exclaims.
Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi passed away last year on Jan. 26th.