Vanessa Bryant Cuddles Goddaughter Named After Her Late Daughter Gigi On Anniversary Crash

Vanessa Bryant, wife of the late Kobe Bryant, took to Instagram to share a photo of her and her baby goddaughter, who is named after her late daughter, Gigi, who passed away in the same accident that killed Kobe.

Looking down at her new goddaughter, Bryant captioned the photo saying, “My goddaughter Ellie Gianna” along with a heart emoji.

Ellie Gianna is the four-month-old daughter of basketball player Pau Gasol and his wife Catherine McDonell. Gasol announced the birth of his daughter in September, tweeting “Our little one has finally arrived!! The delivery went really well and we couldn’t be happier!! Elisabet Gianna Gasol 😍, a very meaningful name for our super beautiful daughter!!”

Bryant also commented on the birth of her new goddaughter in September, stating on Instagram: “My goddaughter is here!!!! Congratulations @paugasol @catmcdonnell7 Love you 3 so much! So touched by your request to honor my Gigi. Can’t wait to hold Elisabet Gianna Gasol.”

Kobe and Vanessa Bryant tragically died on January 26, 2020 in a helicopter crash in California. Ahead of the one year anniversary of his death, Vanessa Bryant released a statement stating: “Dear media, please be considerate when airing or posting remembrance footage. We ask that you do not air photos of the wreckage, helicopter in the air or accident scene. We do NOT want to see it. Our year has been traumatic enough.”