Vanessa Bryant Was Never The Same After Kobe Bryant's Death

January 26, 2020, is a day that will forever be seared into the memory of basketball fans across the globe. But the loss Kobe Bryant's fans experienced on that day cannot begin to compare to that of his wife, Vanessa Bryant, and her remaining kids. Kobe and his daughter, Gianna Bryant, were traveling by helicopter to Thousand Oaks, California, with friends and colleagues. Kobe was set to coach Gianna, who was a budding basketball player, at the Mamba Sports Academy. They never made it to their destination. Their helicopter went down in Calabasas. There were no survivors.

For Vanessa, it was a harrowing day. In a court deposition, she recalled going through the motions of an ordinary Sunday morning. Then there was a knock at the door, and her assistant informed her about the crash. At the time, reports indicated that there had been five survivors. Vanessa didn't even consider that her husband and 13-year-old daughter might not be among them. In fact, she was certain they were unharmed and helping authorities to rescue their fellow passengers. Unfortunately, that was not the case, and Vanessa was first informed via social media that her husband hadn't made it out alive. "My life will never be the same without my husband and daughter," she said in the deposition (via The New York Times).

In the months and years that followed after that fateful day, Vanessa has shared the tragic real-life story of all the ways in which her life had irrevocably changed that day. One thing is clear — while she might have found ways to make peace with what happened, she was never the same after the heart-wrenching loss of her husband and daughter.

Losing one family member is devastating. Losing two at the same time is unimaginable. But this was the reality for Vanessa Bryant after the death of Kobe and Gianna Bryant. As fans left tributes to Kobe and Gianna outside the Staples Center, Vanessa was grappling with a new reality that no longer included her husband and 13-year-old daughter.

About two weeks after the crash, Vanessa took to Instagram to share a clip of Kobe and Gianna on the basketball court. In the caption, she was very candid about the reality of processing the grief of losing her husband and daughter. "I've been reluctant to put my feelings into words. My brain refuses to accept that both Kobe and Gigi are gone," she penned. "I can't process both at the same time." She described the experience as a "nightmare," explaining that trying to come to terms with the fact that Kobe and Gianna will never come home felt nearly impossible.

It also appeared that Vanessa was dealing with survivor's guilt. "Why should I be able to wake up another day when my baby girl isn't being able to have that opportunity?! I'm so mad. She had so much life to live," she wrote. She added that she hoped that sharing the warring emotions she was experiencing would help others who were processing losses of their own.

On February 24, 2020, thousands of people came together at the Staples Center to honor the life of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna Bryant. No one would've blamed Vanessa Bryant if she decided to stay home, but she showed up at the event and delivered a speech in memory of her husband and daughter.

"Gigi was very sweet. She always made sure everyone was okay. She was our shepherd. She always kept our family together," Vanessa told the audience (via YouTube). There wasn't a dry eye in the house as Vanessa recounted all the things she would never get to do with her daughter. "We didn't get the chance to teach her how to drive a car. I won't be able to tell her how gorgeous she looks on her wedding day. I'll never get to see my baby girl walk down the aisle, have a father-daughter dance with her daddy," she said. Vanessa's tribute to Kobe was equally heartbreaking. "He was my everything," she shared, adding that he was a true romantic who had plans to renew their vows before the accident. "God knew they [Kobe and Gigi] couldn't be on this Earth without each other. He had to bring them home to heaven together," Vanessa said.

Almost a year after Kobe and Gianna's deaths, Vanessa shared a heart-wrenching post to her Instagram Stories, telling fans what she'd learned about grief and encouraging her followers to find their reason to live while going through heartbreak. "Death is guaranteed but living the rest of the day isn't. Find your reason," she wrote (via "Today").

A little more than a year after the tragic accident, Vanessa Bryant showed off tattoos honoring Kobe and Gianna Bryant. She also sat down for an interview with People and shared just how much her life had changed since January 2020.

In her first Instagram post after Kobe and Gianna's death, Vanessa attempted to put into words the loss she and her three girls were experiencing. "There aren't enough words to describe our pain right now," she wrote. "They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon. I'm not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it's impossible to imagine life without them. 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."

Vanessa echoed these sentiments during her candid interview with People. She spoke openly about the challenges she'd been facing, admitting that, some days, simply living life seemed like a momentous task. Being strong every day wasn't a given, and there were moments she had to give herself a pep talk to get out of bed in the morning, knowing that wallowing in her grief wouldn't bring back her loved ones. Having three kids depending on her is what kept Vanessa going. "My girls help me smile through the pain," she said. "They give me strength." She added that, in their absence, Kobe and Gianna were doing the same. "Kobe and Gigi motivate me to keep going," Vanessa explained. "They inspire me to try harder and be better every day."

One only has to glance at Vanessa Bryant's Instagram page to realize that Kobe and Gianna Bryant are still very much a part of her life. She frequently posts photographs of them, often with a tribute in the caption. Every year since their deaths, Vanessa has wished Kobe and Gianna a happy birthday.

In August 2020, she took to Instagram to commemorate Kobe's first birthday since his death. She reminisced about the years they spent together and the traditions they used to honor as a family on his special day, thanking Kobe for "loving me enough to last several lifetimes." From her words, it was clear that Vanessa was still in the throes of grief. "Our lives feel so empty without you and Gigi. I've been completely broken inside," she penned. "I wish I could wake up from this horrible nightmare. I wish I could surprise our girls and welcome you and Gigi home to us. I'm mad I didn't go first."

Similarly, Vanessa has posted a birthday message for Gianna every year. In May 2025, she shared a post to celebrate what would have been her daughter's 19th birthday. "Happy birthday, Gigi! Mommy loves and misses you more than I could ever express. I love you Gianna," she captioned a photograph of her daughter dressed in her basketball uniform.

It's one thing to celebrate the birthday of your loved ones after they're gone. It's quite another to weather the anniversary of their death. Vanessa Bryant, of course, has had to go through all these painful anniversaries with the public closely watching.

Vanessa took to social media to share a bittersweet memento on the first anniversary of Kobe and Gianna's death. Said memento was a letter Gianna's friend Aubrey wrote to Vanessa after the tragic accident. In it, she recalled the friendship she and Gianna had shared and the memories they made, explaining how the late basketball star in the making continues to inspire her to reach for her dreams. In the caption, Vanessa expressed how proud she is of her daughter's legacy. "My Gigi is INCREDIBLE," Vanessa wrote, adding, "Kob, we did it right. Gigi, you still make mommy proud. I love you!"

Vanessa also took to her Instagram Stories that day, admitting that grief isn't linear. "Grief is a messed up cluster of emotions. One day you're in the moment laughing and the next day you don't feel like being alive," she penned (via "Today"). "I look at my daughters and I try to push through that feeling for them."

Ever since Kobe and Gianna Bryant's death, Vanessa Bryant has been finding small (and big) ways to honor her two loved ones. She renamed her husband's sports foundation the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation in honor of Kobe and Gianna. The organization keeps the legacy of the two basketball players alive by providing underprivileged kids with opportunities to participate in sports, and years later, it boasts a number of accomplishments.

In May 2025, the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation took action as Vanessa celebrated another tribute to her husband and daughter — the opening of the Kobe and Gianna Bryant Basketball Court in East Los Angeles. With its gold and purple theme and the quote "Play Gigi's Way" on the sideline, the court is a beautiful tribute to the late basketball stars and was partially funded by the foundation. A logo featuring Kobe and Gianna's names takes center stage, framed by butterflies.

Vanessa shared a clip of the opening to Instagram, writing, "In honor of Kobe and Gigi, this court is dedicated to every young person ready to grow, play, and challenge themselves every time they step on the court to #playgigisway."

After the cause of Kobe Bryant's helicopter crash was finally revealed in early 2021, fans hoped that knowing what happened would bring Vanessa Bryant and her family some peace, but the basketball star's wife was still dealing with the traumatic aftermath of having photographs of the crash site, which included human remains, distributed by some of the emergency medical workers that day. Vanessa filed a lawsuit against the county and other responsible parties, and in a deposition, she recalled how she pleaded with Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva to ensure they secure the area to prevent these kinds of photographs from being taken. Villanueva claimed he had done so, yet the photographs were still taken.

Of course, this was very upsetting to Vanessa, and she said so in her deposition. "The impact of the helicopter crash was so damaging, I just don't understand how someone can have no regard for life and compassion, and instead choose to take that opportunity to photograph lifeless and helpless individuals for their own sick amusement," she said (via The New York Times). "They suffered a lot. And if their clothes represent the condition of their bodies, I cannot imagine how someone could be so callous and have no regard for them or their friends and just share the images as if they were animals on the street."

The case was finally settled in March 2023, and Vanessa walked away victorious. Her attorney, Luis Li, applauded Vanessa's courage to pursue the lawsuit and hold the people responsible to account. "She fought for her husband, her daughter, and all those in the community whose deceased family were treated with similar disrespect," Luis said in a statement (via ABC News).