Kobe Bryant's Mamba Sports Foundation has been renamed to honor his daughter Gianna

• Kobe Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy is now Mamba & Mambacita Sports Academy to honor his daughter Gianna Bryant, his widow Vanessa announced on Instagram.
• Kobe and Gianna were among the nine people who were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas on January 26.
• Gianna shared the same love for basketball as her dad, and she wanted to someday play for the University of Connecticut.
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Kobe Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy has been renamed Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation to honor his daughter Gianna, Bryant's widow Vanessa shared in an Instagram post on Thursday.

In her post Vanessa wrote, "Because there is no #24 without #2." "Mambacita" was Gianna's nickname; Kobe's was "The Black Mamba."

Bryant, his daughter, and seven others died in a helicopter crash last month on their way to the sports academy for a game.

The two were buried in a private funeral service last week in Orange County, and a public memorial service is being planned for February 24 at the Staples Center to honor all nine victims.

The date 2/24 was significant because "24" was Bryant's jersey number towards the end of his 20 year career with the Los Angeles Lakers and Gianna wore "2" in her youth basketball games.

Bryant passed the love for the game to Gianna, who aspired to one day play basketball for the University of Connecticut. The two attended multiple games together, in the months prior to the crash.

• Read more:
• An official Kobe Bryant memorial is planned February 24 at Staples Center, where he once dominated for the Los Angeles Lakers
• Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna had a private funeral in Orange County last week
• The rotors of Kobe Bryant's helicopter were still spinning the moment it crashed, further suggesting a disoriented pilot was to blame
• Gianna 'Gigi' Bryant, Kobe Bryant's daughter, also died in the tragic helicopter crash that killed her father