Fans have expressed their admiration of Kobe Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, who offered a poignant portrait of her NBA superstar husband and their daughter at Monday’s sold-out memorial service.
Kobe, 41, and Gianna, 13, were among nine people who were killed in the January 26 helicopter crash in Los Angeles.
Speaking at times through tears, Vanessa praised her husband’s devotion as she addressed thousands of fans gathered at the Staples Center to remember Bryant and their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.
‘God knew they couldn’t be on this Earth without each other,’ Vanessa, who received a standing ovation from the crowd, said.
‘He had to bring them home to have them together. Babe, you take care of our Gigi. I’ve got Natalia, B and Capri. We’re still the best team’.
Several people immediately took to social media to share their thoughts about how incredibly strong the mother-of-four was as she spoke about Bryant and Gianna.
Magic Johnson, Vivica A. Fox and Jeffrey Dean Morgan all said they were left in awe of how Vanessa powered through her speech.
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Kobe Bryant’s wife offered a poignant portrait of her NBA superstar husband and their daughter at Monday’s sold-out memorial service after they were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles
Speaking at times through tears, Vanessa praised her husband’s devotion as she addressed thousands of fans gathered at the Staples Center to remember Bryant and their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna
Fans and friends immediately took to social media to share their thoughts about how incredibly strong the mother-of-four was as she spoke about Bryant and Gianna
‘Cookie & I were blown away by the strength, grace & courage shown by Vanessa Bryant as she memorialized her husband & daughter,’ Johnson, who was in attendance, tweeted after the service.
‘The personal stories & beautiful family memories she shared provided comfort as she opened a window into their lives & the love of their family,’ the NBA legend added.
‘WOWZERS #VanessaBryant How STRONG of u to be able to speak at #KobeFarewell WE WILL ALWAYS BE THERE 4 YOU! STAY STRONG QUEEN!’ Fox tweeted.
Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan wrote: ‘Watching the @kobebryant and Gigi memorial thru tears, #Vanessabryant just spoke, so brave, dignified, beautiful.
‘So strong in the face of absolute heartbreak. The world mourns your loss with you, your family. You, like your husband & daughter, are an inspiration to us all.’
The service took place at the central Los Angeles arena where Bryant played for the Lakers for 17 seasons of his two-decade NBA career.
Beyoncé opened the memorial service with passionate performances of her hits XO and Halo.
After her performance, an emotional Jimmy Kimmel took the stage. He told the audience members that today was about ‘gratitude’.
Kimmel said that the world could be ‘grateful for the time we had with them’.
Magic Johnson, Vivica A. Fox and Jeffrey Dean Morgan all said they were left in awe of how Vanessa powered through her speech
‘WOWZERS #VanessaBryant How STRONG of u to be able to speak at #KobeFarewell WE WILL ALWAYS BE THERE 4 YOU! STAY STRONG QUEEN!’ Fox tweeted
Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan called Vanessa an ‘inspiration to us all’
The host said sports is unique in that it brings together people from various backgrounds to celebrate something they all love.
Nearly the entire crowd heeded Kimmel’s suggestion that they introduce themselves and shake hands and hug the people next to them. That was followed by a spontaneous chant of ‘Kobe’.
Kimmel later introduced Vanessa, who called Bryant her ‘soulmate’ and Gianna her ‘baby girl’.
‘To my soulmate,’ Vanessa said before describing the NBA legend as a loving husband and devoted father with a tender heart who was ‘the MVP of girl dads’.
She said the world saw Kobe as a celebrity and basketball legend – the Black Mamba – but to her he was her best friend and protector.
‘He was my everything,’ Vanessa said, recalling meeting Bryant when she was 17 years old. ‘He was the most amazing husband.’
‘Kobe loved me more than I could ever express or put into words. I was fire. He was ice. Vice versa at times.’
Vanessa said she and Kobe planned to renew their vows and travel the world together.
They talked about how they looked forward to becoming the ‘cool grandparents’ after their kids have their own children.
She fought back tears as she described Gianna as a sweet, thoughtful soul who loved kissing her mother good morning and goodnight.
Vanessa said Gianna loved swimming, singing along with hit songs, baking cookies and watching ‘Survivor’ and NBA games with her father.
She says the 13-year-old loved basketball so much she even offered the boys’ basketball team advice.
Vanessa predicted that Gianna could have become ‘the best player in the WNBA’.
She spoke of her heartbreak at not being able to watch Gianna grow up and missing important moments of her life.
‘I won’t be able to tell her how gorgeous she looks on her wedding day,’ she said through tears.
‘I’ll never get to see my baby girl walk down the aisle, have a father-daughter dance with her daddy.’
The crowd included Lakers greats such as Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Pau Gasol.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver joined Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson and dozens of current NBA players including Stephen Curry, James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook.
The stage was surrounded by thousands of red roses as a host of NBA greats past and present attended the service.
And outside the concourse was a sea of people dressed in the team colors of purple and yellow and others in black. On the scoreboard, the Bryant family’s life flashed by in pictures.
Speakers at the memorial service included emotional legends Shaquille O’Neal (left) and Michael Jordan (right)
The service also featured performances by Beyonce (pictured) and Christina Aguilera
Grammy-award winning singer Alicia Keys played Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, one of Kobe and Vanessa’s favorite pieces of music
Money from ticket sales will be given to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, which supports youth sports programs in under-served communities and teaches sports to girls and women.
Bryant’s death sparked an outpouring of grief across Los Angeles, where he remained the city’s most popular athlete into retirement.
Dozens of public memorials and murals have been installed around the sprawling metropolis, and thousands of fans gathered daily outside the Staples Center to commiserate after the crash.
A private funeral was held for Bryant and Gianna in Orange County on February 7.
Monday’s memorial service came just hours after attorneys for Vanessa filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company that operated the doomed helicopter that crashed and killed Kobe, Gianna and seven others.
The lawsuit that was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court said pilot Ara Zobayan was careless and negligent by flying in cloudy conditions January 26 and should have aborted the flight.
Zobayan was among the nine people killed in the crash.
The lawsuit names Island Express Helicopters Inc and also targets Zobayan’s legal representative, listed only as ‘Doe 1’ until a name can be determined.
Vanessa’s lawsuit asserts that Zobayan was negligent in eight different ways, including failing to properly assess the weather, flying into conditions he wasn’t cleared for and failing to control the helicopter.
The company issued a statement on January 30 on its website saying the shock of the crash had prompted it to suspend service until it was appropriate for staff and customers.
Also killed in the crash was John Altobelli, 56, the baseball coach at Orange Coast College; his wife, Keri Altobelli; their daughter, Alyssa Altobelli; Christina Mauser, a basketball coach at the nearby Harbor Day School, where Gianna attended; Payton Chester, a middle-school student; and Sarah Chester, Payton’s mother.
All of the passengers were on their way to a basketball tournament at Kobe’s Mamba Sports Academy when the helicopter crashed.