Vanessa Bryant wishes daughter Natalia a happy 20th birthday… days before the three-year anniversary of husband Kobe Bryant’s death
Vanessa Bryant and the late NBA star Kobe Bryant’s firstborn daughter, Natalia Bryant, celebrated their birthdays on Thursday.
The 40-year-old mother-of-three, who lost her daughter Gianna Bryant along with her husband in a 2020 helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, took to Instagram to wish her eldest child a happy 20th birthday.
“Welcome to your 20s!!! We love you so much baby!!!’ the philanthropist wrote in an emphatically excited caption.
Birthday tribute: The firstborn daughter of Vanessa Bryant and the late NBA star Kobe Bryant, Natalia Bryant, celebrated her birthday on Thursday
Vanessa, who married Kobe in 2001, uploaded three solo snaps of her daughter and began with the caption, “Happy 20th Birthday @nataliabryant!!!”
The proud and protective mama bear shared a headshot of Natalia, who attended the Babylon premiere last month in a brown one-shoulder dress.
She also included a close-up of the young beauty in a pink sweater and her hair in loose waves with accented braids.
The last of the three images was a holiday snap that showed Natalia relaxing on a yacht with sunglasses on her face.
Proud mom: Vanessa took to Instagram to wish her eldest child a happy 20th birthday
Natalia’s birthday comes ahead of the upcoming three-year anniversary of the shocking deaths of her father and sister.
The former five-time Lakers champion died at the age of 41 and his second-born daughter, Gigi, was just 13.
Six other passengers and a pilot also died when their plane crashed near a hillside near Calabasas, California on January 26, 2020.
In addition to Vanessa and Natalia, Kobe is survived by two younger daughters – Bianka, six, and Capri, three.
Since the loss of both of their family members, Vanessa and Natalia have been close and share a close bond.
Gushing: “Welcome to your 20s!!! We love you so much baby!!!’ the philanthropist wrote in an emphatically excited caption
Vanessa opened up about her grieving process by focusing on her daughters during a 2021 interview with People.
In the conversation, she expressed that she was “extremely proud of Natalia,” whom she described as her “right hand man.”
She also said that after the tragic losses of Kobe and Gianna, she took on the role of a comforting figure with her daughters.
“It’s important to me to help my girls navigate this heartbreak. Making sure they know they are loved, supported and important motivates me,” she noted.
Unbreakable: Since the loss of their two family members, Vanessa and Natalia have been close and share a close bond; pictured at a Baby 2 Baby charity event in December 2022
The early years: Vanessa and Kobe started their family with the birth of Natalia in 2003
Last August, a jury awarded Vanessa Bryant $16 million in compensation after officers photographed Kobe’s body.
The jury found that sheriff’s deputies and firefighters who rushed to the scene of the January 2020 accident unlawfully snapped images of the carnage, including the mutilated remains of the basketball legend and his daughter.
The sheriff’s department was ordered to pay Bryant $2.5 million for past emotional distress and $7.5 million for future suffering.
The fire department has to pay her $1 million for past suffering and $5 million for future suffering.
Family of six: Vanessa and Kobe posed with their four daughters Natalia, Gianna, Bianka and Capri in 2019