It’s been over two years since basketball legend Kobe Bryant was tragically killed in a helicopter accident, and his wife Vanessa Bryant is continuing to celebrate him. Aug. 23, 2022 marked what would have been the former Los Angeles Laker’s 44th birthday, and Vanessa posted a selfie with Kobe to honor the occasion.
“Happy birthday, baby! I love you and miss you so much! #44 ❤️ @kobebryant,” she wrote on Instagram. Many of Vanessa’s celebrity followers chimed in with well wishes for the late NBA player in the comment section, including Lisa Leslie, who wrote, “Happy Birthday King Kobe.” Added Khloé Kardashian, “Happy birthday ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I love you V!!!”
Kobe’s birthday comes as Vanessa, who the athlete married in 2001, is currently engaged in a court case against Los Angeles County. She is suing the county for emotional distress and mental anguish after emergency personnel allegedly shared graphic images of Kobe and the couple’s daughter Gianna from their fatal January 2020 helicopter crash. Last week, Vanessa took the stand for the first time in the case, and opened up about when she initially learned of the images being shared, unauthorised. “I broke down and cried and I just wanted to run down the block and scream,” Bryant testified, according to People. “I can’t escape my body. I can’t escape what I feel.”
In an interview with People in March 2021, Vanessa said that support for and from her daughters Natalia, Bianka, and Capri, has helped her through the devastation of losing Kobe and Gianna. She said at the time, “I can’t say that I’m strong every day [and] I can’t say that there aren’t days when I feel like I can’t survive to the next. My girls help me smile through the pain. They give me strength.”
