Vanessa Bryant's Statement On Kobe And Gianna's Passing ...

Vanessa Bryant Statement On Kobe And Gianna’s Passing …

My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time. Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them. We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.

We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately.

There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon.

I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them. But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless — and that’s to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever.

Thank you for sharing your joy, your grief and your support with us. We ask that you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality.

To honor our Team Mamba family, the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund to help support the other families affected by this tragedy. To donate, please go to MambaOnThree.org.

To further Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports, please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org.

Thank you so much for lifting us up in your prayers, and for loving Kobe, Gigi, Natalia, Bianka, Capri and me.

Other ways people are honoring Kobe

College Basketball Player Honors Kobe By Scoring 81 Points: The Philadelphia Voice says Yazid Powell, a freshman guard on the Community College of Beaver County, Pennsylvania’s basketball team honored Kobe Bryant recently by scoring 81 points in a game. He made 35 shots including seven 3-pointers. He also wore Kobe’s number #24 instead of his usual number #1 jersey.

Kobe scored 81 points in a game against the Toronto Raptors in January 2006.

Powell Tweeted, ”Tonight I scored 81 points in the honor of my idol, favorite player, and someone who is the reason I start playing basketball this mean so much to me I want to thank my teammates and coaches for allowing me to accomplish this”

	Teen Wears #24 Jersey; Sinks Game Winning Shot: Wood-TV says a teenager from Chandler, Arizona was wearing a number #24 jersey when he sank a game-winning shot during a high school basketball game. The score was tied between Basha and Perry High when fans started chanting, ”Kobe, Kobe”. Trenton McLaughlin took an inbounds pass before sinking a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Golfer Dons Kobe Jersey; Sinks Winning Putt On 18th Hole: BroBible claims a college golfer from Pepperdine University recently won a tournament while wearing a Kobe Bryant jersey. Sahith Theegala was devastated by Kobe’s helicopter crash so he honored him by carrying a number #8 jersey in his bag. Sahith needed two putts to win the tournament. He put on Kobe’s jersey and made par on the 18th hole to win.

Sahith tells the Golf Channel. “The Mamba mentality that he had all the time, I tried to instill that in myself, and I don’t know if I ever can, especially to his level; I don’t know if anyone ever can. That really meant a lot for me to be able to do that on 18.”