The late athlete’s wife, Vanessa Bryant<\/a>, and their eldest daughter, Natalia Bryant<\/a>, shared tributes for Kobe on Instagram on Saturday, Aug. 23 \u2014 following his January 2020 death, when he and 13-year-old daughter Gianna\u00a0Bryant<\/a> were killed in a helicopter crash<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sharing a photograph<\/a> of herself kissing Kobe on the cheek during a European getaway, Vanessa, 43, wrote in her caption, “We love and miss you and Gigi so much. Sending our love to you. Happy birthday, baby.”<\/p>\n Natalia, 22, for her part, shared a silly snapshot<\/a> of herself and her athlete father mimicking a nearby statue. “Happy Birthday Daddy,” she wrote with the image, adding a single red heart emoji.<\/p>\n Pau Gasol<\/a>, Kobe’s close friend and former Los Angeles Lakers teammate, also honored the NBA star with his own post<\/a>, writing, “Happy Birthday, hermano. I miss you and love you always \u2764\ufe0f,” alongside a throwback photo of the pair mid-game.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n Alberto E. Rodriguez\/Getty<\/p>\n (From left to right): Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant, Natalia Bryant and Gigi Bryant in February 2018.<\/p>\n Along with Natalia and Gigi, Kobe and Vanessa are also parents to daughters Bianka<\/a>, 8,\u00a0Capri<\/a>, 6.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, on Aug. 8, the Bryant family honored Kobe when he was celebrated with his very own bobble head<\/a> from the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a>. (The date paid tribute to the jersey number<\/a> the athlete wore for the first half of his career.)<\/p>\n The youngest Bryant girls participated in activities at the event, with Bianka throwing out the first pitch to player Freddie Freeman, while Capri made the traditional pre-game announcement of: “It\u2019s time for Dodgers baseball!”<\/p>\n The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!<\/a><\/p>\n Last year, Vanessa marked what would’ve been her husband’s 46th birthday<\/a> by sharing a sweet\u00a0throwback photo<\/a>\u00a0on Instagram.<\/p>\n “Happy birthday\u00a0@kobebryant\u00a0. I love you for now, forever & for always. \u2764\ufe0f,” the caption of the 2024 post read.<\/p>\n Read the original article on People<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Alberto](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/b510d7de8f242549023574d06e47eafe.jpeg\"\/)
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