Elle Duncan, an anchor for ESPN’s SportsCenter, gave a heartwarming tribute to the late Kobe Bryant after news broke of his untimely and tragic death. In the segment dedicated to the five-time NBA champion, Duncan said she was eight months pregnant the only time she met Bryant and the two discussed the joys and fears of raising daughters.

Duncan begins by noting that many have shared their “anecdotal experiences” about Bryant after learning of the helicopter crash that also claimed the life of another sports star, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna. 

“Here goes mine,” she begins.

Duncan, who began her entertainment reporting career in 2003, said “I met Kobe one time, backstage at an event for ESPN in New York, and I saw him and I thought ‘Oh gosh, that’s Kobe. Gotta get a picture. For the gram.'”

View this post on Instagram

I met Kobe Bryant one time.. we were doing ESPN upfronts together in NYC. He came over and started talking to me about my impending baby (as you can see I was 13 months pregnant). I asked if he had advice on raising girls— he said “Just be grateful you’ve been given that gift, girls are amazing.” He bragged for a few minutes about what his 3 daughters were doing and how tough they were. He commented his wife Vanessa wanted to try for a boy but was jokingly concerned it would be another girl.. I said “How would you feel about that?” WITHOUT hesitation he said “I WOULD HAVE 5 MORE GIRLS IF I COULD.. I’m a girl dad I love the challenge of raising women.” Little did I know he would have that 4th girl. Or that I would sit backstage for half an hour chatting up the GOAT about his new retired life and what was ahead. I left so impressed with his ability to exist normally in a space where he was being fawned and followed. How he took time for this Real pregnant women he didn’t know to have a real convo with a line of people waiting for a moment just to reassure her. I’m glad to have had that brief time with him. I’m so sorry that 4th girl won’t know her dad.

A post shared by elleduncan (@elleduncan) on

She shared how delighted Bryant was to see her pregnant belly and how before she could get the picture he excitingly asked, “How are you? How close are you? What are you having?”

“A girl,” she told him, and Duncan said the two high fived.

Duncan said Bryant responded, “Girls are the best!”

“I asked him for advice on raising girls seeing as though he quite famously had three at the time, and he said just be grateful that you’ve been given that gift because girls are amazing,” she continued.

Duncan said Bryant’s third daughter, Bianka, was about a year and a half old and that her fate was still “TBD,” or to be determined.

When she asked the Lakers legend if he wanted more children, she said he said, “His wife, Vanessa, really wanted to try again for a boy but was sort of jokingly concerned that it would be another girl. I was like four girls are you joking, what would you think? How would you feel?”

“Without hesitation, he said ‘I would have five more girls if I could, I’m a 'girl dad,’” Duncan said.

As the video was shared multiple times online, users shared posts dedicated to their daughters with the hashtag #GIRLDAD, and it has been trending for most of the day.

The hashtag reached #1 in the country, and some daughters also posted dedications to their fathers.

Duncan also described how proud Bryant was of the athletic abilities his daughters possessed. “When it came to sports, he said that his oldest daughter was an accomplished volleyball player and the youngest was a toddler, so TBD. But that middle one, he said, 'that middle one was a monster. She’s a beast. She’s better than I was at her age. She’s got it.'” Duncan said through tears, “That middle one was, of course, GiGi”

To end her tribute, Duncan said “When I reflect on this tragedy and that half an hour that I spent with Kobe Bryant two years ago, I suppose that the only small sense of comfort for me is that he died doing what he loved the most, being a dad. Being a girl dad.”

Duncan made a post thanking people for making #GIRLDAD trend and called for “all those proud fathers that still have their girls to love on” to flood her timeline with photos, and they obliged.

#GIRLDADElle-DuncanKobe-bryantTributes