Vanessa Bryant took to Instagram Saturday to wish her late daughter, Gianna, a happy 15th birthday. In the photo, we can see Vanessa embracing the little girl in her arms as the mother-daughter duo rocked sunglasses. The two can be seen beaming with joy as they posed for the beautiful photo. Wishing Gianna on her 15th birthday, she captioned the post, “Dear Gianna, Happy 15th Birthday! I love you! I miss you every day!" Vanessa also expressed how much she missed her daughter by adding, “I wish you were here with us. There are no words to express how much I miss you. I love you Mamacita!” Fans stormed the comments of the post with heartwarming birthday wishes for Gianna.
Vanessa re-launched Kobe's charitable non-profit as Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation. As the late player’s dream project, the foundation aims to empower young girls and gives underserved athletes opportunities to flourish. Ahead of her late daughter’s birthday, Vanessa also honoured her with a collection of apparel that would benefit the foundation. Gianna died alongside her father, NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, in a helicopter crash January 2020. A number of tributes and memorials were subsequently issued, including renaming the All-Star Game MVP Award in his honor. The cause of the crash is still unknown, as the helicopter was not equipped with a black box. The Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, and the FBI have launched investigations into the crash. Over the year after the crash on February 9, 2021, the NTSB revealed that ‘poor visibility probably led pilot Ara Zobayan to become so disoriented in thick fog north of Los Angeles that he could not perceive up from down.’ The five board members also said Zobayan, who also died in the crash, ignored his training and violated federal regulations during the 40-minute flight.