Vanessa Bryant honors Kobe and Gigi in emotional tribute for daughter Natalia

Jackie Longo

Vanessa Bryant honors Kobe and Gigi in emotional tribute for daughter Natalia image

Vanessa Bryant didn't leave the late Kobe Bryant or their daughter, Gianna "Gigi" Bryant, out of an emotional tribute she penned for her daughter, Natalia Bryant, this week. 

On Monday, Jan. 19, the widow of the NBA legend - who died tragically alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gigi in a helicopter crash in 2020 - celebrated Natalia's 23rd birthday with a heartfelt post shared to social media. 

"Happy 23rd birthday @nataliabryant We love you so much!You’re such a blessing and a gift to everyone that meets you. We are so proud of the kind and caring person you are! Wishing you the very best, always. We love you always & forever- mommy, daddy, Gigi, BB and Koko. ❤️," she captioned the post. 

Vanessa included several sweet throwback posts in her tribute, including one of herself cuddling up to a much younger Natalia at an ice skating rink. A second snap showed the mother-daughter duo enjoying some time with a wintry mountain backdrop visible in the background. 

READ MORE: LeBron James passes legend Kobe Bryant in Lakers history following dominant performance vs. Hawk s

Birthday wishes pour in for Natalia Bryant

Dozens of fans flooded Vanessa's comments section to share their birthday wishes for Natalia. A few celebs even left a heartwarming note, including Beyonce's mom, Tina Knowles, who wrote, "Happy Birthday beautiful Natalia❤️." 

Actress Gabrielle Union-Wade wrote, "Happy Birthday Doll!! ❤️❤️❤️"

Khloe Kardashian wrote, "Happy happy birthday Nani!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️" 

There's no question that Natalia has been making her mom proud these days. Since graduating from USC last spring with a degree in film, she's already put her education to good use by serving as a creative director for a promo video featuring the Los Angeles Lakers

She's also starred in a Nike Commercial alongside New York Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson to promote her dad's sneaker line and has walked the runway as a model in New York, Milan and Paris. 

In addition to Natalia, Vanessa and Kobe share three other daughters together: Bianka, 9, Capri, 6, and Gigi, 13. 

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Contributing Writer