TRENDING

The tragic deaths of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna "Gigi" Bryant, and the seven other passengers on board the helicopter that crashed in Calabasas, Calif., earlier today, have shocked and saddened so many. As details continue to emerge, we honor Kobe and Gigi by remembering their one-of-a-kind father/daughter relationship.

Following in dad's footsteps

As a father of four girls, Kobe, who played for the LA Lakers from 1996 to 2016, made the all-star team 18 times and brought home five championships, was often asked about having a son to play basketball with. Gigi had the best #girlpower response for that silly question: "The best thing that happens is, when we go out, and fans will come up to me and she'll be standing next to me and they'll be like, 'You gotta have a boy, you and V gotta have a boy, man. You gotta have somebody carry on your tradition, the legacy,'" Kobe explained in an interview. "In response, Gigi would say, 'We don't need a boy for that—I got this.'"

The perfect coach

After retiring from professional basketball, Kobe was thrilled to start coaching Gigi's team. "What we try to do is, we try to teach the kids what excellence looks like," Kobe once said. "Some of them may want to play in the WNBA, some of them may not, but we try to give them a foundation of the amount of work and preparation that it takes to be excellent in whatever it is you choose to do."

Her biggest fan

Kobe's face quite simply lit up when talking about Gigi and her talent. "The basketball gene I've completely and fully passed onto Gianna," he said. "She's got it. She works really hard—they practice two hours a day. Her and her teammates are fully committed. I enjoy watching her play because you can see the growth...it's fun to watch them grow, man."

They prioritized fun, too

As much as Kobe and Gigi lived and breathed basketball, they also knew the importance of family time. The Bryants have always been #familygoals at Halloween. In 2018, they went with an A League of Their Own theme, and in 2019, seen above, they dressed as characters from The Wizard of Oz.

As the world mourns Kobe and Gigi, we can all take a page out of their book and *always* remember the importance of family.

Leave your love for Kobe, Gigi and all the familes affected by this tragic accident in the comments.

by Jacqueline F. | 1/26/2020