Los Angeles will always hold a special place for basketball great Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa Bryant is grateful for all of the love. As the City of Angels gears up for Super Bowl LVI, the city is showcasing all of the things that make Los Angeles great. Vanessa was asked to participate in the #ThisIsLA campaign and her moment is a bittersweet moment of love and loss.
Vanessa took to Instagram to show fans of Kobe a behind-the-scenes moment of her time in the #ThisIsLA video campaign. She is seated in a vintage car that captures the feel of East LA while posing in front of a mural dedicated to her late husband and daughter, Gianna. The two died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California in January 2020.
“I couldn’t look at the mural next to me until we wrapped. 💔💔,” Vanessa wrote in an Instagram caption. “This city is special to me for so many reasons. It’s an honor to be a part of #ThisIsLA 💜💛 🌴”
Fans flooded the comments section of her three Instagram posts with hearts and loving words. Los Angeles holds a special place in its heart for Kobe and the outpouring of love for the Bryant family has stayed strong over the two years since his death and that of their daughter.
Vanessa has been a major player in keeping Kobe’s legacy going within sports. While speaking at the third annual Sports Power Brunch Presented by Champion in Los Angeles, Vanessa highlighted her desire to elevate girls in sports.
“As a mother of four strong girls, I care deeply about not only leveling the playing field for girls but elevating it.”
Vanessa Bryant continued, “I want to instill in our young people that girls are just as good as boys, and oftentimes better.”