Vanessa Bryant shared a sweet message Tuesday on what would have been late husband Kobe Bryant’s 44th birthday.
She posted an Instagram photo showing her with the longtime Los Angeles Lakers star after he won the 2009 NBA Finals.
“Happy birthday, baby!” she wrote. “I love you and miss you so much!”
Kobe Bryant, who was 41, and 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., in January 2020. Gianna was the second eldest of Kobe and Vanessa Bryant’s four daughters.
Others paid tribute in the comments section of Tuesday’s post, including tennis star Naomi Osaka and entertainer Mario Lopez, who shared heart emojis.
“Happy birthday,” reality star Khloe Kardashian wrote, along with a series of hearts. “I love you V!!!”
The Lakers official account, meanwhile, commented “Happy birthday, KB” along with yellow and purple hearts to represent the team’s color scheme.
Vanessa Bryant sued Los Angeles County after officials reportedly shared images from the helicopter crash scene with others. She was moved to tears this month as she testified about learning of the photos.
“I felt like I wanted to run, run down the block and scream,” she said. “It was like the feeling of wanting to run down a pier and jump into the water. The problem is I can’t escape. I can’t escape my body.”
Kobe Bryant played each of his 20 NBA seasons with the Lakers, winning five championships. The 18-time All-Star and former NBA Most Valuable Player was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
