Rhianna Benson
Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa has opened up this week on the tragic impact that losing both the basketball star and their teenage daughter Gigi in a devastating 2020 helicopter crash has had on the rest of her life.
The 42-year-old's latest statement was prompted by the University of Connecticut Huskies' recent victory at the 2025 NCAA championships.
The women's basketball team defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday night's finale (6 Apr), during which Gigi's former teammates Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd undeniably stole the show.
Taking to Instagram following the Huskies' win, American businesswoman and philanthropist Vanessa released a heartfelt statement, claiming her late teenage daughter 'would've loved to be there'.
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She issued her message while reposting UConn's victory post to her own story.
Vanessa also added a quote, penning, 'When you think you can't, UCONN' - Gianna Bryant', alongside two love-heart emojis.
Gigi Bryant would have likely been playing in March Madness right now, just weeks ahead of what would have been her 18th birthday, had she not been travelling via helicopter from John Wayne Airport to Camarillo Airport in Los Angeles on 26 January 2020.
While flying with 41-year-old father Kobe, Gigi tragically died when their Sikorsky S-76B helicopter crashed in the city of Calabasas, California.
The pair were killed in the disaster, alongside six other family friends - including basketball coach John Altobelli - and the pilot, Ara Zobayan.
Prior to Gigi's death, aged just 13, she was a huge fan of the Huskies, a relationship that was known to be somewhat reciprocal.
CNN alleged the year of her passing that the teenager had 'always wanted to play for the team', which is widely considered one of American's top women's college basketball programmes.
Following the fatal helicopter glass, Gigi's life was honoured by UConn, who draped her No. 2 jersey over one of their bench seats, along with a bouquet of flowers wrapped in the team's colour ribbons, blue and white.
Sharing a snap of their tribute online, the team penned: "Mambacita is forever a Husky."
One of the Huskies, Paige Bueckers - already mentioned - told press following her team's latest victory that she believed Gigi would have been the perfect teammate.
She added that there had been times 'throughout the whole tournament that God has really shown himself'.
Bueckers went on to disclose that she and her mother had been staying in room 824 of her team's hotel during the championships, 'both of Kobe's numbers', she continued, 'stuff like that'.
The athlete added: "I feel like a lot of that too is Kobe's watching over us, Gigi's watching over us."