Kobe Bryant’s wife Vanessa pays tribute to ‘adoring Kobe and sweet Gianna’

The wife of Kobe Bryant says she has been left “completely devastated” by the death of the NBA legend and their teenage daughter in a helicopter crash.

LA Lakers hero Bryant and 13-year-old Gianna were among nine people who died when the aircraft they were travelling in came down amid thick cloud over the city of Calabasas in California on Sunday.

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Tributes have poured in for the basketball icon in the days since the tragedy and his wife Vanessa has broken her silence with a moving tribute posted alongside a family photo on Instagram.

Mrs Bryant said she and the couple’s other daughters, Natalia, 17, Bianka, three, and Capri, seven months, were thankful for the “millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time”.

She said: “Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them. We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe – the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna – a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.”

Mrs Bryant has also changed her profile picture to a photo of her husband, 41, and Gianna sharing a moment during the 2016 NBA All-Star Game at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Mrs Bryant added: “We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately. There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now.”

Others killed included Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa, who played on the same basketball team as Gianna, and the girls’ coach, Christina Mauser.

Mrs Bryant said: “I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon.

“I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them. But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way.

“Our love for them is endless – and that’s to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them, have them here with us, forever.

“Thank you for sharing your joy, your grief and your support with us. We ask that you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality.”

Mrs Bryant also announced the MambaOnThree Fund to help support other families affected by the crash.

Her husband went by the nickname of Black Mamba throughout his trophy-laden career, all with the Lakers, and also since his retirement in 2016.

Bryant was a five-time NBA championship winner with 18 NBA All-Star selections and two Olympic gold medals.

The investigation into why the helicopter crashed is still ongoing, but officials have said the pilot was trying to clear a layer of cloud moments before the aircraft came down.

All nine bodies have been recovered and Bryant’s is among those who have been identified.

(c) Sky Sports 2020: Kobe Bryant’s wife Vanessa pays tribute to ‘adoring Kobe and sweet Gianna’