Death Of Kobe Bryant, Daughter Gianna Inspiring Proud Fathers' #GirlDad Posts Online
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Kobe Bryant's love for his four daughters was evident, and he even referred to himself as a proud "Girl Dad."
Now the phrase is catching on, inspiring celebrities and many other fathers to celebrate their daughters, reports CBS2's Ali Bauman.
Take the examples of proud 6-year-old daughters Sophia Deleon and Ella St. Clair.
"I like to play with him, hide and seek," said Sophia.
"He takes care of me and gives me toys," said Ella.
There's no other bond like the one between a dad and his daughter.
"I take her to school every single day and we bond during that walk," said father Chuck Gomez. "I think I cherish that moment."
"It's always a challenge but you try to do the best you can and make sure she always feels happy," said father Freddie Deleon.
Days after Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were killed Sunday in a California helicopter crash, ESPN reporter Elle Duncan shared her story about meeting Kobe a few years back
"I asked him for advice on raising girls since he famously had three at the time, and he just said be grateful you've been given that gift because girls are amazing," she said. "He said I would have five more girls if I could I am a 'girl dad.'"
Moved by Kobe's fatherly love, fathers and daughters all around the world are now sharing their own family photos, captioned #GirlDad. The hashtag has been tweeted more than 220,000 times this week, with dads proudly appreciating their baby girls.
My EVERYTHING!#GirlDad pic.twitter.com/AiJC723Dld
— Rich Tuero (@CoachTuero) January 30, 2020
Love my #girldad - he's just the absolute greatest ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Pe72NdNfZj
— Rebecca Fischer (@rebeccastern) January 30, 2020
It's been the ride of a lifetime. #girldad ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Dkq7M9MyjD
— Boomer Esiason (@7BOOMERESIASON) January 29, 2020
"That's something we can take away from his legacy, his legend, was that he was a good father to an amazing daughter," said father Neil St. Clair.
It happens to be Girl Scout night at the Barclays Center and families are using this as an opportunity to spend time together.
"I wanna honor Kobe's memory by bringing my daughter to a basketball game," said father Chuck Gomez.
Inside, the Brooklyn Nets game began with a tribute to Kobe and Gigi: flowers laying on two empty seats in their honor.
"It's a special thing to spend time with your daughter, no matter what you do," said Freddie Deleon.
At this game, dads are holding their daughters' hands a little tighter.