'She was so full of life': Vanessa Bryant laments not being able to watch her daughter grow up at the memorial for Gianna and Kobe

Lauren Frias

Feb 25, 2020, 01:56 IST

'She was so full of life': Vanessa Bryant laments not being able to watch her daughter grow up at the memorial for Gianna and Kobe

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY via Reuters

Kobe Bryant with his daughter Gianna at the WNBA All Star Game at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas in July 2019.

Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa Bryant delivered a tearful eulogy for her daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant during a memorial held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Monday.
Vanessa lamented that she would not be able to see Gigi go to high school, drive a car, or walk down the aisle for her wedding.
Kobe and Gigi, as well as six other passengers and the pilot, died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on January 26.
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In a eulogy Monday, Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa Bryant lamented that she wouldn't see her daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant grow up.

Vanessa spoke at the public memorial service held in memory of Kobe and Gigi at the Staples Center Monday morning.

"We will not be able to see Gigi go to high school with Natalia and ask her how her day went. We didn't get the chance to teach her how to drive a car," Vanessa said. "I won't be able to tell her how gorgeous she looks on her wedding day. I'll never get to see my baby girl walk down the aisle, have a father-daughter dance with her daddy, dance on the dance floor with me, or have babies of her own."

Kobe Bryant and Gigi were aboard a helicopter that crashed in Calabasas, California, at the end of January. Kobe, Gigi, six other passengers, and the helicopter pilot died in the crash.

Vanessa went on to talk about how Gigi wrote papers talking about the pay disparity between women and men's basketball and how she aspired to make a change in the industry.

"Gigi would have likely become the best player in the WNBA," Vanessa said. "She would've made a huge difference for women's basketball. Gigi was motivated to change how people viewed women in sports."

"She was a beautiful, kind, happy, silly, thoughtful and loving daughter and sister," Vanessa said. "She was so full of life and had so much more to offer the world."

"I cannot imagine life without her," Vanessa said, after a brief pause holding back tears.

The memorial was held on February 24, a significant date to both Kobe and Gianna. The date, 2/24, represented Bryant's jersey number, No. 24, and No. 2 was his daughter's.