Kobe Bryant's Daughter Gave An Emotional Speech Honoring Her Dad & It's a Total Tearjerker
It’s hard to believe it’s been more than three years since the world lost NBA legend and Oscar-winning filmmaker Kobe Bryant, 41 who died alongside his daughter Gianna, 13 in a helicopter crash that killed nine people. It was rightfully devastating for his loved ones and fans, and so it was a special and emotional day on Wednesday when he became the first athlete to be cemented in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His oldest daughter, Natalia Bryant, 20 gave a moving speech at the ceremony before she joined her family — mom Vanessa, 40 and sisters Bianka, 6 and Capri, 3 — to unveil Kobe’s handprints and footprints in front of the TCL Chinese Theater.
“I’m honored to be here today to recognize the man that we all knew and loved, my dad Kobe Bryant,” she said. “…Most people knew him as a basketball player or a storyteller. I got to know and love him as my dad.”
“And let me tell you,” she continued, “he’s the MVP of girl dads to say the least.”
He was always there for his four daughters, she recalled, attending their recitals, games, tournaments, and other events even while juggling his busy schedule. She then talked about when they would watch movies together and how those screenings inspired her to want to create films that bring other fathers and daughters together. She also shared intimate details about how any time she was up late at night — “Whether it was working on a school project, getting a midnight snack or unable to sleep” — she would find him writing, storyboarding, or editing, eventually creating his beloved shortfilm, Dear Basketball.
The composed young woman described being Kobe’s daughter as “one of the greatest joyes of [her] life,” and we can’t to imagine there was a dry eye in the crowd.
“And I hope to continue to embody and cherish the many lessons he has taught me,” she said.
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Natalia then acknowledged how great an honor it is that her dad’s handprints and footprints will be “forever displayed” in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre. Especially given his Oscar win and the impact he had on the city he “loved and cared for so deeply.”
“I encourage you to [come visit and] place your hands in his and take a moment to stand in his shoes,” she said, an act which her little sisters did once the memorial was uncovered. “This will be a treasure for the city of Los Angeles and for my dad’s fans from all over the world to hold and to cherish.”
“I’m honored to be here to represent [my dad] and our family,” she closed her speech. “And we are extremely proud of you. We love you forever and always. Love, Natalia, Gianna, Bianka, Capri, and Mommy.”
These celebrity fathers are all proud to be “girl dads.”
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