"Mommy is still and will always be proud of you:" Vanessa Bryant reveals daughter Gianna's jersey retired from private school
Vanessa Bryant posted a series of Instagram videos and photos on Wednesday, revealing the private school her daughter Gianna attended had chosen to retire the 13-year-old's basketball jersey. Gianna and NBA legend Kobe Bryant were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash last month in California.
"My Gigi. I love you! I miss you," Vanessa wrote in one of the posts. "You've taught us all that no act of kindness is ever too small. Mommy is still and will ALWAYS be so proud of you mamacita."
The ceremony at Harbor Day School in Corona del Mar, California, included speeches from the athletic coaches and students honoring Gianna.
Gianna was a gifted basketball player and played on a team coached by her father and Christina Mauser, another victim of the January 26 crash. Mauser was also a mother of three.
John Altobelli, who was also killed, was an Orange Coast College baseball coach for 28 years. He led the team to win the 2019 state baseball championship and was named the National Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association this offseason, according to CBS Los Angeles.
Also killed in the crash were Altobelli's wife, Keri, and youngest daughter, Alyssa, who played alongside Gigi on the team that Bryant coached.