Gianna “GiGi” Bryant was Kobe and Vanessa Bryant’s second-eldest daughter. She had big dreams of carrying on her father’s legacy in basketball as well as carving a path of her own with new records and accomplishments. Here are five things you may not know about Kobe and Vanessa Bryant’s teen daughter.
1. GiGi wanted to play for the WNBA
Kobe Bryant told Jimmy Kimmel during a 2018 interview that his daughter boldly declared that she would be the one to carry on his legacy.
“The best thing that happens is when we go out, and fans will come up to me and she’ll be standing next to me and they’ll be like, ‘You gotta have a boy. You and V (Bryant’s wife Vanessa) gotta have a boy, have somebody carry on the tradition, the legacy.’ She’s like, ‘Oy, I got this. No boy for that, I got this,'” Kobe shared with the talk show host.
2. Gianna dreamed of attending the University of Connecticut
The youngster sat courtside with her family during UConn’s game against UCLA in 2017. After the game, GiGi stopped by the locker room where she talked with the players of her dream school.
The UConn Huskies memorialized Gianna last year after she passed away in a helicopter crash alongside her father. The team draped her jersey number (#2) and a bouquet across one of their benches during one of the games. “Mambacita is forever a Husky,” the team tweeted.
3. GiGi told reporters that she could beat her father
The family was at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival when Gianna told the press she believed she could beat her father in a basketball match. The youngster admitted she was not able to do any slam dunks at the time.
Video clips of Gianna practicing with her father at home, however, proved she was well on her way to dominating the court in all forms.
4. Gianna was a great big sister
Vanessa Bryant told attendees at Kobe and Gianna’s memorial that she could always count on her daughter to do the right thing. “She was the most loving daughter, thoughtful little sister, and silly big sister,” Vanessa shared.
“She often helped to carry the littles’ baby bag and playing with them, and she loved helping with Bianka and Capri. Bianka loved going to the playground, swimming, and jumping on the trampoline with Gigi.”
5. GiGi spoke three languages
Vanessa revealed her daughter spoke and wrote Mandarin and understood Spanish in addition to speaking and writing English. “Gianna made us all proud and she still does,” Mrs. Bryant said at her daughter’s memorial.
Gianna “GiGi” Bryant was 13-years-old at the time of her death. She is survived by her mom and three sisters.
Photo: Kobe Bryant/Instagram
