Gianna Bryant, sometimes referred to as “GiGi” was an American middle school who loved the game of basketball. She was destined to take after her father, the legendary NBA star, Kobe Bryant. Gianna Bryant was born in Los Angeles, California on May 1, 2006. She is the daughter of Kobe and Vanessa Bryant. Her father was African American and her mother is Mexican. Her mother was a model and her father played for the Los Angeles Lakers for 20 years and helped them win five NBA championships..
Gianna, just like her father, took up basketball as her sport playing on her middle school team at Harbor Day School and Mamba Academy. Bryant played basketball competitively at her father’s Mamba Sports Academy, where she was coached by her father.
Just like every other aspiring athletic kid, Gianna had dreams to attend University of Connecticut where she would pursue playing basketball and join the WNBA. There were many times when she would be seen alongside her father at Laker’s, UConn, and WNBA games. The two seemed to have shared an inseparable bond with their love of basketball.
Unfortunately now Gianna is famous because of a tragedy. On January 26, 2020 while traveling to the Mamba Academy via helicopter with her dad, and seven others something went wrong with the helicopter and it crashed. All nine passengers tragically passed away that day. Gianna had such a full life ahead of her with so many dreams. Even as many would tease her father that he needed a son to carry on his legacy, Gigi would interrupt and say, “I got this, you don’t need no boy for that.” We now pray for the Bryant family and for her father and Gigi to rest in peace.
Skylar Wooten, Project RACE Teens Vice President
Picture by Chris Costello Via MoPho/SpashNews.com