Super Bowl week means a lot of celebrations, even outside the typical game-related hoopla. And as the NFL prepares for the big game, which will see the Los Angeles Rams face the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, February 13th, Vanessa Bryant is getting much-deserved recognition in one of those adjacent celebrations.
Bryant will be honored at the third annual Sports Power Brunch: Celebrating the Most Powerful Women in Sports, which will take place February 8th in Beverly Hills. Los Angeles Sparks Senior VP Natalie White, EAG Sports Management CEO Denise White, and Executive VP of Communications at Fox Sports, Terri Hines, are also among the honorees. The celebration, as the name indicates, focuses on the impact of women in sports, but looks to celebrate not just the athletes, but the women making an impact in other ways.
Though always a big supporter of sports in general and girls in sports in particular, Bryant will specifically receive the “Be Your Own Champion Award ” for her leadership through the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation. The organization was founded in honor of Bryant’s late husband, Kobe, and daughter Gianna, who died in 2020 in a helicopter crash that also killed seven others.
The Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation is, in their own words, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a positive impact for underserved athletes and boys & girls in sports. It provides funding and sports programming for underserved athletes to enable participation in school and/or league sports that enrich socio-emotional and physical development.
So, congratulations on the recognition, Vanessa Bryant. We can’t wait to see how you continue to serve our communities and change lives.