Vanessa Bryant, Natalia Bryant and New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu appeared in a TikTok dance video this week that immediately went viral.
Natalia, 17, posted the video to her Instagram account with the caption, “It’s the making my mom laugh for me.” The video has already recorded more than 1.75 million views.
#TeaWithTiaIssaFamilyAffIr — #NataliaBryant was happy to get her mom to smile. #TikTok #FridayNightFun pic.twitter.com/UMz8wD0LTy
— TeaWithTia (@TeaWithTia_) October 17, 2020
Needless to say, fans absolutely loved it.
— Clmt Gigi (@GhislainClement) October 19, 2020
— papi morenito (@SwagBoiTez) October 19, 2020
— tondeuxjean-François (@mynameiskb24) October 19, 2020
— Esther Rojas (@BabyRo15) October 19, 2020
Vanessa has been a rock for the entire Bryant family since Kobe Bryant’s tragic passing at the beginning of this year.
Back on Jan. 26, Kobe, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, baseball coach John Altobelli, five other passengers, and the pilot died in a helicopter accident. Everyone on board was killed on impact.
Kobe’s death rocked the entire sports world, with the 2019-2020 champion Los Angeles Lakers ultimately dedicating their season to the franchise legend.
A bit of an odd situation. https://t.co/cSGzy8wrAw
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 17, 2020
They honored him all year with a “KB” patch on their jerseys and even had an alternate “Black Mamba” uniform set which they wore several times throughout the postseason.
Following the team’s title win last week, Vanessa came out and publicly acknowledged how much she wished her husband had been around to see it.
“Congratulations Uncle P! Congratulations @lakers Kobe was right, RP! Stay the course – blockout the noise. Go Lakers! Wish Kobe and Gigi were here to see this,” she wrote.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, or “Uncle P” as Vanessa referred to him in that post, was one of Kobe’s closest friends and served as his agent during his playing days.
Kobe’s influence was instrumental in Pelinka landing his role, and obviously it paid dividends for all parties involved.
Vanessa also showcased a remarkable tattoo she got, showing the names Kobe, Vanessa, Natalia, Gianna, Bianka and Capri inked along the outside of her right foot.
Vanessa Bryant is celebrating her family with more meaningful body art. The simple, elegant tattoo features the names of her family, starting with late husband Kobe Bryant, then her own name, then the names of their daughters; Natalia, the late Gianna, Bianka and Capri. pic.twitter.com/Vcmo8E6xmJ
— My Mixtapez (@mymixtapez) October 14, 2020
Vanessa was and continues to be mainstay in the lives of all Lakers fans, if for no other reason than what a family the entire fanhood is.
Yikes Aaron Gordon. https://t.co/fmz8bvfSkC
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 16, 2020
Because of that, when TikTok videos like this week’s go viral, it is a joy and celebration for everyone to see.
After everything the Bryant family has been through, they deserve all the relief, positivity and happiness in the world. Here is to hoping they get it.
Related: Is Derrick Rose To The Lakers A Done Deal?
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
