As celebrations honoring the late Kobe Bryant were underway throughout the weekend in Los Angeles, his daughter Bianka paid a sentimental homage to the basketball legend.
Bianka, 7, threw the first pitch at Dodger Stadium, kicking off the MLB team’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.
For the big moment, she was joined by her mom, Vanessa Bryant, 42, and her sisters, Natalia, 21, and Capri, 5. For the occasion, the quartet wore matching Dodgers jerseys with No. 24 on the back in honor of Kobe, who died in a helicopter crash in 2020 at age 41, along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.
Bianka is now the third Bryant family member to have the honor of throwing the first pitch for a Dodgers game. In September 2023, Natalia had the same honor, nearly 25 years after their father began the tradition in the family.
In a post to Instagram that included photo and video highlights from the game, Vanessa wrote in the caption, “Thank you @dodgers for supporting our @mambamambacitasports foundation. L.A. Love 🙏🏽💜💛 💙🤍.”
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She also shared a photo of Bianka with Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts, 31, with a big smile on her face.
Bianka’s big day at the Dodgers game arrived a day after Los Angeles’ official Kobe Day on Aug. 24. The game was part of major events in Los Angeles honoring the basketball icon, who would have been 46 on Aug. 23. During the game, attendees received special-edition Kobe jerseys celebrating the Los Angeles sports icon, per People magazine.
The jersey’s design pays homage to the “Black Mamba” with a snake print and gold and black coloring. His iconic numbers — 8 and 24 — are displayed on each side of the prey animal.
On Saturday, the Dodgers gave fans who attended the game Showtime Lakers T-shirts and a complimentary cartoon design of the basketball team wearing Dodgers uniforms.
Lakers legends Michael Cooper, A.C. Green, Kurt Rambis, Byron Scott, Mychal Thompson, and James Worthy also attended the pre-game ceremony and threw out a first pitch. After the game, a Lakers-themed drone show lit up the sky.
