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Vanessa Bryant, 41, celebrated her late husband, Kobe Bryant, on their oldest daughter Natalia‘s 21st birthday on Friday. The loving wife took to her Instagram story to share a message from a Kobe fan page along with a photo of the NBA star sitting in his Los Angeles Lakers jersey and wearing the hospital bracelet he received at the time of Natalia’s birth. The message revealed the photo was taken one day after they welcomed her into the world.
“One day after the birth of Natalia Bryant, Kobe wore his hospital ID bracelet during the entire Lakers game,” the message read along with a purple heart emoji. Vanessa didn’t hesitate to add her own message as well. “Best Girl Daddy,” she wrote with two red heart emojis surrounding the words. She also tagged Natalia.
Vanessa and Kobe Bryant at the premiere of ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ with their daughters Natalia and Gianna. (Shutterstock)
Vanessa also shared her own birthday tribute to Natalia. It featured a video that included several different photos of the beauty throughout the years and a sweet caption.
“Happy birthday 21st birthday @nataliabryant !!! We love you so much!!!! You are what every parent hopes and prays for. You are such a beautiful, strong, smart, loving young woman with the kindest soul and I am so proud to be your mommy! I love you, mama! ❤️😘🎂🎉❤️,” it read.
Natalia shared the cute post to her Instagram story along with many other birthday posts from family, friends, and followers.
In addition to Natalia, Vanessa has daughters Bianka, 7, and Capri Kobe, 4, who she shared with Kobe. The former couple also shared daughter Gianna, who died with Kobe in a helicopter crash in 2020. She was only 13 at the time while Kobe was 41.
Although her life has been tremendously affected by the loss of her dad and sister, Natalia has been creating her own legacy. She has worked as a model and recently appeared on the cover of Town & Country magazine, in which she opened up about how Kobe’s work ethic has inspired her.
“In terms of legacy, my main goal is just to be the best version of me that I possibly can,” Natalia said. “I just need to know that I have to keep learning because there’s no finish line. You just have to keep pushing and being the best person you can be and soaking everything up like a sponge… The job’s never done.”
