ugc_banner

Vanessa Bryant remembers the first time she met Kobe Bryant

WION Web Team
New DelhiUpdated: Nov 29, 2020, 10:17 AM IST
main img
FILE PHOTO: 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party – Arrivals – Beverly Hills, California, U.S., 04/03/2018 – Kobe Bryant holds his Oscar for Best Animated Short, with wife Vanessa. Photograph:(Reuters)

Story highlights

Kobe Bryant and Vanessa got married in 2001 and had four daughters together, Natalia, 17, Gianna, 13, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 1. The athlete and Gianna tragically died in a helicopter crash alongside seven others in January.

Vanessa Bryant shared a sweet post on her Instagram, remembering the day she and Kobe Bryant first met. On Friday, the late NBA star's wife celebrated the 21st anniversary of their first meeting. 

"Love at first sight 11/27/99 #21," she captioned the Instagram post.

Kobe and Vanessa got married in 2001 and had four daughters together, Natalia, 17, Gianna, 13, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 1. The athlete and Gianna tragically died in a helicopter crash alongside seven others in January.

Last year, Kobe also reflected on the day he met his "best friend," posting a throwback pic along with the Disneyland snap.

"On this day 20 years ago I met my best friend, my Queen @vanessabryant," he captioned his post. "I decided to take her on a date to Disneyland tonight to celebrate old school style (pre 4princesses) I love you my mamacita per sempre."
 

Vanessa shared her heartbreak in a tribute to Kobe and Gianna in August.

"I'm mad I didn't go first. I always wanted to go first so that I selfishly didn't have to feel this heartache," the 38-year-old wrote on Instagram. "You were supposed to miss me. Gigi was supposed to be here with her sisters. It should've been me."

At Kobe and Gianna's public memorial, Vanessa spoke about her romantic life with Kobe.

"He gifted me the actual notebook and the blue dress Rachel McAdams wore in The Notebook movie. When I asked him why he chose the blue dress, he said it was because of the scene when Ali comes back to Noah. We had hopes to grow old together, like the movie. We really had an amazing love story," she shared with the audience at the Staples Center. "We loved each other with our whole beings, two perfectly imperfect people making a beautiful family and raising our sweet and amazing girls."

She added that weeks before Kobe died, he sent her a text about how he "wanted to spend time together, just the two of us without our kids because I'm his best friend first."

"We never got the chance to do it," she explained. "We were busy taking care of our girls and just doing our regular everyday responsibilities, but I'm thankful I have that recent text. It means so much to me. Kobe wanted us to renew our vows."