Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Kobe Bryant, is opening up once again as she grieves the loss of her husband and 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.
Kobe and Gianna, along with seven other people, died in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles on Jan. 26. The crash also killed John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan.
"My brain refuses to accept that both Kobe and Gigi are gone. I can’t process both at the same time," Vanessa wrote in an Instagram post on Monday. "It’s like I’m trying to process Kobe being gone but my body refuses to accept my Gigi will never come back to me. It feels wrong. Why should I be able to wake up another day when my baby girl isn’t being able to have that opportunity?!"
Bryant's heartbreaking message was the caption of a video posted to Instagram showing a montage of her daughter Gianna's best moments on the court. Many of the clips also featured Kobe. Gianna played for a basketball team at Kobe's Mamba Academy.
Vanessa said in her post she was "mad" she wasn't with "Kobe and Gigi" but she was thankful for her three daughters, Natalia, Bianka and Capri. She also gave some kind words to others who may be experiencing a traumatic loss.
"I know what I’m feeling is normal. It’s part of the grieving process," she wrote. "I just wanted to share in case there’s anyone out there that’s experienced a loss like this. God I wish they were here and this nightmare would be over. Praying for all of the victims of this horrible tragedy. Please continue to pray for all."
A public memorial will be held on Feb. 24 at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.
The date of the memorial, 2/24/20, carries heavy meaning to the Bryant family.
Number two was the jersey number for Gianna, and "24" was one of two jersey numbers used by the Lakers legend. The year, 20, even represents the number of years Kobe played for the Los Angeles Lakers.
