Despite the tragic helicopter crash which took the lives of Kobe and Gianna Bryant less than two months ago, the Bryant family appears to be doing their best to move forward with life as normal. In a photo that surfaced on the internet Sunday, Kobe's 17-year-old daughter Natalia displayed the family's resiliency while paying tribute to her late father and sister.
Dressed in her winter formal outfit, the teenager showed off her glowing smile while posing in front of a mural dedicated to Kobe and Gianna. Kobe's wife, Vanessa, shared the photo with the caption "❤️ my babies. Natalia. #winterformal #together #family.”
The photo received plenty of heartwarming responses from fans and celebrities, including basketball stars Dwyane Wade and Candace Parker. Wade responded with two heart emojis while Parker said "BEAUTIFUL." Khloe Kardashian also commented with multiple heart emojis, while WNBA legend Lisa Leslie said "Gorgeous! Your twin."
Swin Cash, another WNBA legend, wrote "Beautiful. Keep shining Natalia."
Vanessa has been sharing plenty of heartwarming posts on Instagram following the death of her husband and daughter. One of the videos is a montage of the family's memories at home, featuring Beyonce's "XO" as the background music. Vanessa also honored her beloved husband on Valentine's Day, posting a photo of the couple together, soundtracked by Lauryn Hill's "Tell Him."
Last week, Vanessa slammed Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officers for allegedly sharing photographs of the crash site where Kobe, Gianna and seven others died on January 26, as Blavity previously reported.
"Our client, Vanessa Bryant, is absolutely devastated by allegations that deputies from the Lost Hills Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Los Angeles County Fire Department publicly disseminated photos from the helicopter crash site. This was of critical importance to her as she desired to protect the dignity of all the victims and their families. At that time, Sheriff Alex Villanueva assured us all measures would be put in place to protect the families’ privacy, and it is our understanding that he has worked hard to honor those requests," Vanessa's attorney said in a statement.
The 37-year-old also filed a wrongful death lawsuit last month against the helicopter company used by Kobe, writing that the helicopter should never have been allowed to fly in extremely foggy conditions.
