"You got this": Kobe Bryant was dad and coach to Gianna
Not long before NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died in a tragic helicopter crash Sunday in Calabasas, California, Bryant reflected on their relationship and their mutual love for the game of basketball in several interviews. Gianna, known as Gigi, inherited her father's passion for the game. They were on their way to a tournament for the youth league where Bryant coached Gigi's team when the helicopter went down.
Bryant, known as a fierce competitor during his storied 20-year NBA career, told late night host Jimmy Kimmel in 2018 that Gigi, his second-oldest of four daughters, wanted to play in the WNBA.
"This kid, man... I'm telling you," he said. "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 will be like, 'You gotta have a boy, you and V [wife Vanessa] gotta have a boy, man, to have somebody carry on the tradition, the legacy.' And [Gigi] is like, 'I got this!'" Bryant said. "That's right. Yes, you do. You got this."
Gigi had dreams of playing for the University of Connecticut's women's basketball team and beyond.
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