Kobe Bryant’s family has the best seats in the house for tonight’s WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix.
Vanessa Bryant, the widow of the late NBA legend Kobe, and her three daughters watch from the sidelines of the Footprint Center as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese compete in the annual women’s basketball event.
Four years after the tragic helicopter crash that killed him and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, Kobe is survived by Vanessa, 42, and their children Natalia, 21, Bianka, seven, and Capri, five.
All four members of his immediate family decided to take advantage of the game in Phoenix, where USA Basketball will take on Team WNBA.
Debuting sensations Clark and Reese join forces for the WNBA roster, putting aside their bitter rivalry to battle American Olympic stars.
Kobe Bryant’s family has the best seats in the house for tonight’s WNBA All-Star Game
A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum and Diana Taurasi are the superstars on the other side of the All-Star Game.
Kobe, widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA players ever, had been together with his wife Vanessa for 20 years at the time of his death.
The couple started dating in 1999, when they met on the set of his music video.
They became engaged shortly after Vanessa turned 18, and married in 2001.
Kobe and his daughter Gianna were killed along with seven others when their helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California in January 2020.
They had flown from John Wayne Airport, near his Newport Beach home, and were en route to Bryant’s Mamba Basketball Academy in Thousand Oaks when they crashed into a hill.
Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna (top left) died in a helicopter crash in 2020
Earlier this week, Vanessa appeared to allude to rumors of a feud between her husband and his parents when she offered her condolences following the death of Kobe’s father.
The basketball world was in mourning after Kobe’s father Joe Bryant died of a stroke at the age of 69.
Following the passing of her father-in-law, Vanessa expressed her condolences via Instagram on Tuesday afternoon. At the same time, she seemed to express regret over the rift between her husband and Joe and mother Pam.
“We extend our condolences after learning of the passing of my father-in-law,” she wrote.
“We hoped it would be different. Although we didn’t spend much time together, he was always sweet and kind to be around. Kobe loved him very much. Our prayers go out to the family.”
Kobe, widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA players ever, had been together with his wife Vanessa for 20 years at the time of his death
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the relationship between Joe and his son Kobe became strained as the Lakers legend built a career in the NBA Hall of Fame.
He has never spoken publicly about his son’s death, and earlier this year, the 2000 NBA title ring that Kobe had given him was auctioned off for $927,000.
In 2016, Kobe revealed that he hadn’t spoken to his parents for nearly three years after they attempted to auction off his high school memorabilia — without his permission.