The Los Angeles Lakers became NBA champions last Sunday night, but there were two people whose presence was dearly missed.
On Sunday, Vanessa Bryant congratulated the Lakers team on Instagram in a heartfelt post, remembering her late husband and daughter.
“Wish Kobe and Gigi were here to see this,” Vanessa wrote on her Instagram account.
The Lakers beat the Miami Heat 106-93 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals Sunday night. It was the Lakers’ first NBA Finals appearance since Kobe Bryant won his fifth and final NBA title.
Vanessa shared a photo of her late husband with Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka along with the message: “Congratulations Uncle P!” She wrote. “Congratulations @lakers Kobe was right, RP! ‘Stay the course-blockout the noise.'”
The Laker’s win coincided with Father-Daughter Day on Sunday. Vanessa remembered the daddy-daughter pair on Instagram with a throwback image of Kobe holding Gianna in his arms after the Lakers won the 2009 NBA Championship.
It is known that Kobe and Gianna shared an inseparable bond. Gianna was a passionate basketball player, and Kobe saw her as the heir to his legacy. Kobe invested in Gianna’s future, coaching her team at the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California.
In Vanessa’s eulogy of her husband and daughter, she reminded the world of their special bond.
“God knew they couldn’t be on this earth without each other,” Vanessa said of the duo at their memorial. “He had to bring them home to heaven together.”