Vanessa and Natalia Bryant get new tattoos to honor Kobe and Gianna
Mambacita will be with Vanessa Bryant forever.
That's one of the nicknames of Bryant's daughter Gianna, who was 13 when she, her father — Lakers legend Kobe Bryant — and seven others died in a helicopter crash Jan. 26, 2020, in Calabasas.
Vanessa Bryant has gotten multiple tattoos in honor of her late husband and daughter during the last 14 months, and she revealed the latest addition Tuesday on Instagram.
The caption on the post featured the word that is now permanently displayed on Bryant's right forearm.
"Mambacita," she wrote along with heart and butterfly emojis, which are included as flourishes on Bryant's newest tattoo.
Bryant also posted videos of her session with Nikko Hurtado, the tattoo artist who also inked written messages from Kobe and Gianna on Vanessa's right wrist and neck last year.
On one of the captions, Bryant wrote "First tatt of the night done," indicating she may have had more artwork done that evening.
Or she may have been referring to the ink that oldest daughter Natalia, 18, also received from Hurtado in what appears to be the same session.
From the videos posted by her mother, it appears Natalia got tattoos on her left wrist and on the left side of her right middle finger. A photo published by TMZ, credited to Vanessa Bryant on Instagram, reveals the latter tattoo to be the word "MUSE," which is the name of a 2015 documentary about Kobe Bryant.
In one of the videos, Vanessa Bryant — who also has a tattoo on her left foot featuring the first names of Kobe, herself and their four daughters — tries to calm her nervous daughter by telling her not to think about the needle. The comment makes Natalia laugh and respond, "Right."
Nerves aside, it appears both women enjoyed themselves while doing something meaningful and lasting to honor their lost loved ones.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
