What better way to spend “Mamba Day” than with his family? That must be what pop singer Ciara had in mind when she spent “Mamba Day” with the late Kobe Bryant’s wife Vanessa Bryant and their three kids: 17-year-old Natalia, 3-year-old Bianka, and 1-year-old Capri Bryant.
Monday, August 24 (8/24) was dubbed “Mamba Day” (officially “Kobe Bryant Day” in Los Angeles and Orange County, California) in honor of the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant for his two numbers, 8 and 24. Ciara spent it enjoying quality time with the Bryant family.
On her (private) Instagram, Vanessa Bryant posted a picture of herself, Bianka, Capri, and Ciara together. Vanessa captioned the post: “It takes a village. Thank you to all my loving family, amazing friends, and wonderful fans for your love and support. One day at a time.”
Ciara also shared the same photo on her Twitter and Instagram, and she wrote: “Seeing you and the girls smile makes my heart smile. You’re the toughest mama I know. Seeing you put one foot forward each day is admirable. It ain’t easy, but if I know one thing, Mamba Queen’s capable of it all. Love you V. @VanessaBryant. #MambaDay 💜💛.”
Vanessa Bryant also shared a picture of Bianka sitting behind the wheel of a pink miniature Range Rover, which Ciara and her husband, NFL quarterback Russell Wilson, gave to her. Vanessa wrote in the caption: “Auntie @ciara and uncle @dangerusswilson thank you for the RR for BB~ ”I guess” you’ll be taking over driving lessons😃💕 BB mastered it though.”
“Mamba Day” comes almost eight months after Kobe and his daughter Gianna Bryant, along with Alyssa, John and Keri Altobelli, Payton and Sarah Chester, Christina Mauser, and pilot Ara Zobayan were tragically killed in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. Gianna was 13 and Kobe was 41 when they passed. Gianna and Kobe are survived by Vanessa and daughters Natalia, Bianka, and Capri Bryant.
Kobe Bryant’s former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, honored Kobe on “Mamba Day” by wearing the special edition “Black Mamba” jerseys in Game 4 of their first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2020 NBA Playoffs. The black-and-gold jerseys have a snakeskin design after the venomous snake Kobe was nicknamed for and they feature a white heart with No. 2 in it, which was Gianna’s number. The Lakers were previously reported to wear them after the first round, but it turned out that “Mamba Day” was the perfect day to wear the “Black Mamba” jerseys, as the Lakers won Game 4 135-115.
During the first quarter of the game, the Lakers had a fitting 24-8 lead over the Blazers. “When I looked up there and saw [the score was] 24-8, I was like, ‘OK, this is a [sign], he’s here in the building,'” said Lakers superstar LeBron James. It may have been a strange coincidence, but it certainly couldn’t have happened on a better day.
24-8 score on 8-24 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/9z0alEBf38
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 25, 2020
