WEDDING CHANNEL AFRICA

Family, friends and fans have gathered at the Staples Center for a public memorial in honour of Kobe and Gianna Bryant.

The service – being dubbed ‘The Celebration of Life’ – is taking place where the basketball superstar played for the Los Angeles Lakers for the entirety of his 20-season long professional career.
Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died along with seven others on 16 January in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.

In her emotional first public words since the death of her NBA star husband, Kobe, and 13-year-old daughter, Vanessa Bryant remembered her loved ones lost during a Los Angeles memorial service to the victims of last month’s helicopter tragedy.

Dressed in all black, Vanessa Bryant spoke first about daughter Gianna, at points sniffling and choking back tears, but moving forward with resolve.

The mom spoke about her daughter Gigi, who died in the crash. “Gianna Bryant is an amazingly sweet and thoughtful soul,” she said. “She knew how much her morning and evening kisses meant to me…she was daddy’s girl, but I know she loved her mama. She was one of my very best friends.”

She then listed other attributes of her daughter, including her love to cook and ability to excel in a number of sports outside of basketball.

“Gigi was confident but not in an arrogant way,” she said. “She was very much like her daddy. Gigi was very sweet. She always made sure everyone was OK.”

Her speech about her daughter then ended with Mrs Bryant expressing how she would love her daughter every day.

Vanessa Bryant speaks about her ‘soul mate’ Kobe Bryant
Mrs Bryant first spoke about her relationship with Kobe Bryant, which started when she was 17 years old.

“I was his first girlfriend, his first love, his confidant and his protector,” she said. “He was the most amazing husband. Kobe loved me more than I could ever express or put into words.”

She described Kobe  as the ‘MVP of girl dads’ by his wife
“Kobe was the MVP of girl dads, or MVD,” Mrs Bryant said. “He never left the toilet seat up. He always told the girls how beautiful and smart they are.”
She then expressed her gratitude that the basketball player was alive to hear their youngest daughter, eight-month-old Capri, say “dada” before he died.

“He isn’t going to be able to walk our girls down the aisle or spin me around on the dance floor,’ she said, “but I want my girls to know the amazing man, husband and father he was.”

Celebrities attended the Celebration of Life memorial at the Staples Center to honour Kobe Bryant and the eight victims of the helicopter crash.

Stars such as Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Gabriel Union, Christiana Auguilera, Alicia Keys, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian West, Khloe Kardashian were present in the arena.
Prominent basketball players in attendance include Micheal Jordan, Magic Johnson, Stephen Curry, and Dwayne Wade. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps is also in attendance.

Light, Love, Strength and Peace is what we send the Bryant Family.