Kobe and Gianna Bryant died in a helicopter crash in January 2020.

Vanessa Bryant honors daughter Gianna on what would have been her 20th birthday: ‘Miss you mamacita’

Kobe and Gianna Bryant died in a helicopter crash in January 2020.

By Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at **. He left EW in 2022.

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May 1, 2026 5:20 p.m. ET

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Vanessa and Gianna Bryant at a Lakers home game in 2015. Credit:

Noel Vasquez/GC Images

- Vanessa Bryant posted a photo with her late daughter to celebrate Gianna's 20th birthday.

- LeBron James and Kim Kardashian shared their support in the comments.

- Gianna and Kobe Bryant died in a 2020 helicopter crash.

Vanessa Bryant is celebrating her late daughter Gianna on what would have been her 20th birthday.

More than six years ago, Gianna and her NBA icon father Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash, when Gianna was only 13. On Friday, Vanessa shared a photo of her and Gianna, along with a touching message.

"Happy birthday to my sweet baby angel, Gianna," Vanessa wrote. "Words can’t express how much I love and miss you mamacita. Mommy loves you so much!"

LeBron James, Kim Kardashian, Kelly Rowland, La La Anthony, Kris Jenner, and Gianna's older sister Natalia were among those to send their love in the comments.

Kobe and Gianna Bryant at a Lakers home game in 2019.

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty

On Jan. 26, 2020, Kobe and Gianna were flying to her basketball game, along with other teammates and parents, when their helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California. All nine people onboard passed away.

Gianna was the second of Vanessa and Kobe's four daughters, and she was already following in her father's footsteps as a standout basketball player, with her eyes set on a future WNBA career.

“The best thing that happens when we go out, fans will come up to me and [Gianna will] be standing next to me and they’ll be like, ‘Hey, you gotta have a boy! You and V gotta have a boy to have somebody to carry on the tradition and the legacy,” Bryant said on *Jimmy Kimmel Live* in 2018. “She's like, ‘Hey, I got this! You don’t need a boy for that.'”

In a city full of stars, Kobe Bryant often shined brightest

Beyoncé, Jimmy Kimmel, and more pay emotional tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant at memorial

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Founded in memory of Kobe and Gianna, the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation paid tribute to Gianna on her birthday by announcing the 2026 Class of Gianna Bryant Scholars. The non-profit will be investing in 20 student-athletes from the Los Angeles area and their athletic endeavors.

"To our Gigi, Happy 20th Birthday," the organization wrote on social media. "Your vision, your spirit, and your beautiful heart continue to light the way.

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