wellnessfitproKobe and Vanessa tied the knot in April 2001
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Vanessa-Bryant-Shares-Photo-Kobe-Bryant-082426-DN-a06c3eafaf4a48bf9281a32d61bec13d.jpg "Vanessa Bryant Shares Intimate Photo with Kobe Bryant")
Credit: Vanessa Bryant/Instagram; Frazer Harrison/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Vanessa Bryant posted a photo with her late husband, Kobe Bryant, on what would have been his 48th birthday on Sunday, Aug. 23
- “Happy birthday, baby. I love you so much,” Vanessa wrote in her caption, also calling Kobe “Boo-Boo” in an Instagram Story
- David Beckham, Russell Wilson, Michael Phelps and Kris Jenner were among Vanessa’s famous friends to leave supportive comments on the post
Vanessa Bryant is celebrating the birthday of her late husband, Kobe Bryant.
In an Instagram post on Sunday, Aug. 23 — the late NBA star’s 48th birthday — Vanessa, 44, paid tribute to Kobe with a sweet photo of the couple.
“Happy birthday, baby. I love you so much. ❤️🙏🏽 8/23,” Vanessa wrote in the caption.
In the image, Kobe is sitting on top of Vanessa, who has her arms around his waist as they both smile and pose for the photo in a sunny outdoor location. Vanessa also shared the photo to her Instagram Story, writing, “Happy birthday Boo-Boo,” with the song “Tell Him” by Lauryn Hill.
Credit: Vanessa Bryant/Instagram
Some of Vanessa’s famous friends left messages in the comments of her post. David Beckham, Michael Phelps, Gabrielle Union and Kris Jenner posted heart emojis, while Beyoncé’s mom, Tina Knowles, said, “Sending you love and hugs [on] your beautiful man’s birthday♥️🙏🏽.”
Russell Wilson commented, “Love this,” and Rachel Zoe wrote, “❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️you so much @vanessabryant.”
Vanessa also collaborated with Kobe’s former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, on a post celebrating his birthday. The Lakers and NBA Instagram accounts, as well as Vanessa, used the caption, “Icon. Legend. Laker. Happy Birthday, Kobe 💜.”
Credit: Allen Berezovsky/Getty
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Kobe and Vanessa, who wed in April 2001, share four daughters: Natalia, 23, Bianka, 9, Capri, 6, and the late Gianna.
Kobe and Gianna were tragically killed in a 2020 helicopter crash that also claimed the lives of seven others. Kobe was 41 years old, and Gianna was 13.
In May, Vanessa shared a tribute to Gianna on what would have been her 20th birthday. “Happy birthday to my sweet baby angel, Gianna. Words can’t express how much I love and miss you mamacita. Mommy loves you so much! #HappyBirthday #20 💕💕,” she wrote in her caption over a sweet photo of Gianna.
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