On what would have been his 45th birthday, Kobe Bryant’s sister Sharia Washingtоn is paying tribute to him.
On Wednesday, Washingtоn posted a touching homage to the late NBA great, which included a photo carousel of the siblings throughout their lives.Washingtоn added, “Your physical presence is missed every day, but your legacy will live on forever,” as the caption for her birthday tribute. Bean, I hope you have a wonderful birthday! You’ve got my love.”
At the end of her piece, Washingtоn cited Bryant, saying, “‘You are responsible for how people remember you — or don’t. Don’t dismiss it so quickly. – KB,” the caption pleaded.The photo album featured candid pics of her and Bryant when they were younger as well as photos of the siblings as adults.
Vanessa Bryant, Washingtоn’s sister-in-law, also posted a heartfelt ode to her husband on Wednesday.Vanessa, now 41 years old, posted a touching message to the late basketball great on his birthday, along with images from their time together.
It’s your special day, sweetie! Always and forever, I will love you. She also included his birthdate in the hashtag, writing, ” #82378.”On Wednesday, Vanessa also debuted her next sneaker design, the Kobe Bryant 8 Protro.”The Halo concept will be an annual release that will honor and celebrate this special date,” Nike said on their website.
Vanessa also posted a little black-and-white movie on Instagram to tease the sneaker. She captioned the photo, “Kobe 8 ‘Halo’ 8.23.23 This is just one of many Kobe 8 ‘Halo’ styles on the way.”Kobe and Vanessa met in 1999, when Kobe was 20 and Vanessa was 17, on the shoot of a music video; they were married for 20 years. They had daughters Natalia in 2003 and Gianna in 2006 after getting hitched on April 18, 2001 in Dana Point, California.A helicopter crаsh in Calabasas, California, claimed the lives of Bryant and his daughter Gianna, who was 13 at the time. NBA legend passes away at age 41.
Additional fatalities include helicopter pilot Ara Zobayan, 50, and passengers Alyssa Altobelli, 14, Keri Altobelli, 46, John Altobelli, 56, Christina Mauser, 38, and Payton Chester, 13.