Vanessa Bryant is commemorating her husband Kobe Bryant on his 45th birthday, which would have been Wednesday.
Vanessa, 41, wished the late basketball star a happy birthday in a beautiful message that included old images of the two of them.
“Happy birthday, little one. I will always adore you. “#82378,” she said on Instagram, using the hashtag to allude to his birthday.
Kobe and Vanessa were married for almost 20 years after meeting on the set of a music video in 1999, when Kobe was 20 and Vanessa was 17. They married on April 18, 2001, in Dana Point, California, and had daughters Natalia and Gianna in 2003 and 2006.
After Kobe announced his retirement from the NBA after 20 seasons in a poem on The Players’ Tribune on Nov. 29, 2015, he and Vanessa had two more kids, Bianka in 2016 and Capri in 2019.
Kobe perished in a horrific helicopter accident in January 2020, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, six parents and players on her basketball team, and the pilot.
Vanessa also debuted her new Kobe Bryant 8 Protro shoe on Wednesday.
“The Halo concept will be an annual release that honours and celebrates this special date,” Nike said on their website.
Vanessa’s Instagram also included a black-and-white shoe teaser film. “8.23.23 Kobe 8 ‘Halo’ “This is one of many Kobe 8 ‘Halo’ styles that will be released soon,” she said in the description.
Vanessa told PEOPLE in March 2021 that her girls help her “smile through the pain” and offer her resilience in the face of sadness and grief.
“This pain is unbearable, but you just have to get up and keep going.” Crying in bed won’t erase the truth that my family will never be the same again. But getting out of bed and moving on will make my children’ and my day better. “That’s what I do,” she said.
Vanessa spoke on “finding the light in the darkness,” as well as how her late daughter and husband’s legacies carry on. “The best way to put it is that Kobe and Gigi inspire me to keep going.” They motivate me to strive for excellence every day. “Their love is unconditional, and they inspire me in so many ways,” she added.
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