Vanessa Bryant Shares A Heartbreaking Tribute To Gianna

The past few days have been among the hardest in Vanessa Bryant's life as she copes with the deaths of her husband, Kobe Bryant, and her 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant. Kobe and Gianna lost their lives on January 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash that also claimed the lives of seven other people.

The aftermath of the tragedy has been hard on Kobe's countless fans around the world. While the crash has left people everywhere heartbroken, the loss has been even harder for Vanessa Bryant and her three surviving daughters: Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. Tributes have been pouring in from fans of Kobe and Gianna, but none have been as heartbreaking as the tributes Vanessa has posted.

On February 2, Vanessa posted a heartfelt tribute to her beloved daughter on Instagram. The post featured a painting of Gianna wearing her dad's Lakers jersey. The painting was created by Los Angeles based artist Reina Koyano. "Seeing my babygirl smile and happy again with a basketball under her arm, wrapped in love just warmed my heart," wrote Vanessa. She thanked the artist for the painting then added "My Gigi. #Mambacita."

The day before, Vanessa posted another picture, this one a tribute to Kobe and Gianna from the Lakers, who played their first game since the accident on January 31. Two courtside seats were left open in honor of Kobe and Gianna, each one draped with a jersey — a number 24 for Kobe and a number 2 for Gianna, who played for the AAU (per USA Today).

"There is no #24 without #2," wrote Vanessa in the caption.

Vanessa remained quiet for a few days following the accident, wanting to be left to mourn her loss in private with her family. She broke her silence on January 29, sharing a photo on Instagram of the Bryant family.

"We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri," she wrote.

Vanessa continued, "There aren't enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon."

Vanessa revealed that the family was doing their best to get through this difficult time. "I'm not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it's impossible to imagine life without them," she wrote. "But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless — and that's to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever."

A friend of the family had previously told People that Vanessa was struggling in the aftermath of losing her husband and her daughter. "It's an extremely difficult and devastating time for Vanessa and the whole family," said the source.

Another source said that the grieving mother could "hardly keep it together." They added, "She can't finish a sentence without crying. But she is working very hard to pull it together for the other girls. She now has to be the strong one."

While many people use Instagram as a place to post selfies, Vanessa uses it to post photos of her family. Her account is filled with pictures of her daughters and her husband. Kobe similarly filled his account with photos of his girls and his partner of 20 years.

The couple's kids were clearly at the center of their lives. "A lot of families have parents that constantly work and kids that are being raised by nannies," a source told People. "The Bryants have always been different. The focus on family has always been a priority. Vanessa is a stay-at-home mom and after Kobe stopped playing basketball, the main focus has been about raising their daughters."

Vanessa is not the only member of the Bryant family to shaken by the loss of Kobe and Gianna. While most of the family seems to be grieving in private, Kobe's sister, Sharia Washington, posted a tribute to the basketball star and Gianna on social media. On January 27, she posted a collage of family photos featuring Kobe and Gianna, along with people who appear to be other family members, on Facebook.

Sharia didn't post a caption, but it's clear that her brother's memory will live on in her heart. She also made the tribute collage to Kobe her cover photo.