Kobe Bryant Basketball Hall of Fame latest – Vanessa emotionally praises star for ‘bringing so much joy to the world’
KOBE Bryant was emotionally praised by his wife Vanessa as he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday night.
The Laker legend's enshrinement came over a year after he, his 13-year-old daughter, and seven others went down in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020, in the California city of Calabasas.
During the ceremony, Kobe was praised by his widow, who detailed the all-star's long list of accomplishments before he died.
"There will never be anyone like Kobe," she told the crowd in her tearful tribute. "He and Gigi deserve to be here to witness this."
She went on to praise her late husband as "humble, but bigger than life," and said if he were alive, he'd have a "long list of people to thank for getting him here."
Vanessa said Kobe never wanted to disappoint his fans, especially people who "saved up money to watch him play."
She said the NBA star would "play every minute of every game" if he could, because he "loved all of his fans so much."
"You did it. You're in the Hall of Fame now," Vanessa said, while calling Kobe the "Mickey to her Minnie."
"You're not just an MVP, you're an all-time great," she said before holding Michael Jordan's hand and walking off the stage to a standing ovation as the crowd loudly chanted: "Kobe!"
WE WILL NEVER FORGET YOU
Now that Kobe Bryant is officially in the Basketball Hall of Fame, tributes to the late, great basketball star have poured in from all over Twitter.
Celebrities from all over the world and from all different walks of life have shared their rememberances of the Lakers legend, who died in January 2020 — along with eight others, including his daughter Gianna — due to a helicopter crash.
Have a look at some of the moving tributes below.
YOU ABOUT TO LOSE YO'JOB
The firefighters behind the Kobe Bryant photo scandal have officially either been terminated or suspended.
NBC Los Angeles, who hasn't released the names of the firefighters in question, for taking photos of the crash site that claimed the lives of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven other people, and then sharing the photos with their significant others.
This revelation was officially disclosed by Vanessa Bryant's lawyers in court documents related to the ongoing invasion of privacy suit, which has now moved to the federal courts.
Neither Bryant's lawyers nor LA County officials made an official comment about the revelation as of this writing.
GRACE UNDER GRIEF
As tributes continue to roll in for Kobe Bryant's Basketball Hall of Fame induction, a new op-ed commends Vanessa Bryant for showing "grace" in the face of all her grief.
USA Today points out that despite her various tensions with Bryant's family throughout the years,
"Pam and Joe, thank you for raising Kobe to be exceptional," Vanessa said. "Thank you to all of Kobe’s family, Sharia. You’ve gone above and beyond. I love you."
Additionally, Vanessa Bryant acknowledged that despite her late husband's failings as a husband — especially early on in their marriage, where allegations of adultery ran rampant and she'd filed for divorce before withdrawing the petition — she was grateful for her husband.
"Thank you for growing and learning from your own mistakes," Vanessa said. "Thank you for always trying to be better. Thank you for never giving up on us. Thank you for all of your hard work. Thank you for our family."
OVER 500 MURALS CREATED GLOBALLY TO MEMORIALIZE KOBE AND GIANNA BRYANT
Kobe Bryant's fans across the globe have in his honor ahead of the anniversary of his and his daughter's death.
Fan Mike Asner, created , a collection of murals of Kobe and Gianna from several counties. The site has a map showing photos and the geographic location of each mural.
The website currently shows there are 542 murals documented in over 40 countries, including nearly 300 in Southern California alone.
MEEK MILL APOLOGIZED TO VANESSA BRYANT FOR THE INSENSITIVE SONG LYRIC
After Kobe's name in a new song, Mill apologized publicly.
"I apologized to her in private earlier today not to the public," Mill . "Nothing I say on my page directed to an internet viral moment or the family of a grieving woman!"
Mill seemed to suggest people should move on.
"If you care about someone grieving change the subject!" he wrote.
VANESSA SHUT DOWN RAPPER MEEK MILL OVER AN 'INSENSITIVE' SONG LYRIC ABOUT KOBE'S DEATH
Vanessa Bryant also earlier this year for an "extremely insensitive" lyric about her husband's death.
"Yeah, and if I ever lack, I'm goin' out with my chopper, it be another Kobe," reads one of Mill's lyrics in his song Don't Worry (RIP Kobe).
Vanessa posted a screenshot of the lyrics, along with her critique, on Instagram.
"I find this line to be extremely insensitive and disrespectful," Vanessa wrote. "I am not familiar with any of your music, but I believe you can do better than this."
She added that Mill's lyric was disrespectful and tactless.
"If you are a fan, fine, there's a better way to show your admiration for my husband," Vanessa wrote.
VANESSA FEUDED WITH WESTWORLD STAR EVAN RACHEL WOOD FOR CALLING KOBE A 'RAPIST' HOURS AFTER DEATH
Hours after Kobe died on January 26, 2020, Wood tweeted: "What has happened is tragic. I am heartbroken for Kobe’s family. He was a sports hero. He was also a rapist. And all of these truths can exist simultaneously."
Vanessa said she didn't learn of the tweet until 2021 when on Wood's claims.
"Your false, insensitive, defamatory and slanderous tweet on 1/26/20 is vile and disturbing to say the least," Vanessa wrote on Instagram over a screenshot of Wood's tweet.
Kobe Bryant was accused of sexual assault in 2003 by a 19-year-old hotel employee in Colorado. The case was ultimately dropped and later settled out of court in a civil case.
"Behavior like this is part of the reason why innocent black men go to jail for crimes they didn’t commit," Vanessa said to Wood. "An accusation doesn’t make someone guilty."
VANESSA SHARES HEARTWARMING LETTER FROM GIANNA'S FRIENDS
Earlier this year, Vanessa Bryant shared a kind letter Gianna's friends wrote for her ahead of the anniversary of Kobe and Gianna's death.
"My mind constantly thinks of your beautiful daughter," the letter read. "Her smile and attitude push me to be better. You have probably heard this, but if I ever become a mom, I hope my daughter turns out exactly as yours did."
The teen also paid homage to Kobe and Gigi's unrelenting fight for equality in sports that they "set the wheels in motion" for.
KOBE WOULD BE 'HAPPY' WITH DAUGHTER'S MODELING CAREER
Vanessa Bryant recently said her late husband would have been proud of their oldest daughter, Natalia, for beginning her modeling career.
"Daddy would be so happy that you’re pursuing your modeling career now that you’re 18," Vanessa wrote on Instagram. "You’re beautiful inside and out. Beautiful with makeup and without makeup. We love you."
Natalia had signed a modeling contract with IMG agency earlier this year.
LA COP TOOK '100 DISTURBING PICS' OF KOBE AT CRASH SITE
A LOS ANGELES cop allegedly snapped up to 100 disturbing pics of Kobe and Gigi Bryant at the chopper crash site, a lawsuit filed by Vanessa Bryant claims.
Vanessa's lawsuit alleges that four members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) shared multiple gruesome and unauthorized photos of Kobe and Gigi after the crash.
LASD's internal affairs department was not allegedly told about the breach of privacy, and no probe was started until news of the photos was made public.
WHERE TO BUY MAMBACITA CLOTHING?
Vanessa Bryant announced the launch of the Mambacita clothing line in an Instagram tribute to Gianna, who was also known as Gigi.
The clothing line is being sold through Dannijo, and almost completely sold out on the first day, according to Fox Business.
"When I thought about how best to celebrate Gianna’s birthday with so many who loved her, I knew it had to be a combination of sharing her bright and fun personality with her sense of purpose and passion that would help make a difference in this world," Vanessa wrote on Instagram.
Gigi's basketball nickname was Mambacita, which was similar to her father's nickname of Black Mamba.
"I wish you were here with us. There are no words to express how much I miss you," Vanessa would also write on Instagram.
INSIDE KOBE’S CHILDHOOD HOME
Kobe Bryant’s childhood home in Pennsylvania sold for $810,000, according to reports in November 2020.
The Los Angeles Lakers legend lived in the family home as a teenager, say .
The Bryant family left the stunning five-bedroom property in the Philadelphia area in 2008.
And the most-recent owners put it on the market in September for an asking price of $801,000.
After two months on the market, the home – which features the basketball hoop on which a young Kobe mastered his art – sold for $810,000.
BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME TRIBUTE
'LIKE A BROTHER'
Kevin Garnett discussed his relationship with Kobe Bryant.
"Kobe Bryant was like a little brother to me, man," he said.
"I got to see Kob when he was very young and not as polished as everybody got to see him. He was very vulnerable, we were both vulnerable and very young.
"And we used to always interact with each other with that youthfulness, with that kid persona. We’d always talk the game.”
UNDOING TRUMP
President Joe Biden on Friday canceled Donald Trump's "Garden of American Heroes" that was supposed to honor greats like Kobe Bryant, Alex Trebek, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
According to his order in July 2020, Trump planned to launch the garden to memorialize Americans who made history in politics, sports, and culture, among others.
The garden was supposed to include statues of Kobe Bryant, Julie Child, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Whitney Houston, Harriet Tubman, Antonin Scalia, Alex Trebek, Davy Crockett, and Billy Graham.
“The National Garden should be located on a site of natural beauty that enables visitors to enjoy nature, walk among the statues, and be inspired to learn about great figures of America’s history,” Trump's order read.
This order was also revoked by the Biden administration.
MAMBA FOREVER
Kobe Bryant's widow Vanessa posed with a picture of the star as he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
It comes over a year after the NBA legend, his 13-year-old daughter, and seven others went down on January 26, 2020, in the California city of Calabasas.
On Friday, Vanessa uploaded a photograph with the caption "love you always," showing her posing with a large black and white photo of Kobe.
She later went on to publish photographs of the couple's daughters, Bianka and Capri at different points of "Daddy's Hall of Fame exhibit."
The exhibit held various Bryant jerseys, from his time with the Lakers, as well as screens showing video footage of the legend.
'BROUGHT JOY TO THE WORLD'
Vanessa said Kobe "brought so much joy to our lives and around the world."
She thanked him for being "the best husband and father" who learned from his mistakes and always tried to be better.
KOBE'S DETERMINATION
Vanessa explained that Kobe never wanted to miss a game and always played despite injuries.
"He didn't want to disappoint his fans, especially people who saved up money to watch him play," she said of the MVP.
"If he could help it, he'd play every minute of every game. He loved all of his fans so much."
'KOBE! KOBE! KOBE!
As Vanessa and Michael Jordan exited the stage, chants of "Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!" broke out among attendees.
Vanessa received a standing ovation from the crowd.
KOBE'S THANKS
“Kobe would thank all of the people who helped him get here, including the people that doubted him," Vanessa Bryant told the crowd as Michael Jordan appeared to grin.
"After all, he proved you wrong."