Did Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa want any of their daughters to follow in their father’s footsteps?
What career path did Bryant expect his eldest to take?
And where did they dream to go as a family?
Keep watching to hear about Vanessa Bryant’s heartbreaking testimony.
The helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his teenage daughter Gianna Bryant, and seven
other souls in January 2020 just seems to keep on getting more and more tragic.
The awful accident returned to the headlines in August when Vanessa Bryant went to court
after filing a case against Los Angeles County, claiming, per People, she suffered emotional
distress due to some first responders taking gruesome photos of the scene, which they then
shared with others.
Nicki Swift has been in the courtroom as the trial unfolds, including on August 17th when
a forensics expert claimed a proper investigation into the Kobe crash photos couldn't be completed
because those who took and shared the images were told to delete them.
That came a few days after Vanessa broke down in the courtroom after a witness spoke about
alleged insensitive remarks made when two firefighters were looking at the images — which
are thought to show badly disfigured body parts — during an award show, cracking a
joke about what they were looking at.
The case has also seen some heart-rending remarks from those personally affected by
the horrific accident, with Chris Chester — who lost his daughter, Payton, and his
wife, Sarah, in the crash – speaking candidly about his trauma and the fear he faces every
single day that the gruesome images could leak.
Now, Vanessa has also testified in the macabre case, sharing some emotional details — including
Kobe's heartbreaking hopes for the future.
In her devastating court testimony, Vanessa Bryant shared that, before his tragic death,
Kobe Bryant planned to continue working toward new goals.
Those goals centered around her and their four daughters — Natalia, Gianna (or Gigi), Bianka, and Capri.
Per Nicki Swift's courtroom reporter, Vanessa shared memories of her marriage to Kobe on the stand.
Though she admitted that it wasn't always a perfect marriage, it was a wildly happy
one filled with fun, inside jokes, and healthy competition.
When asked by her lawyer, Luis Liu, if Kobe was her best friend, the widow tearfully said,
"He still is my best friend."
Vanessa also shared the immense love Kobe had for each of his daughters, which played
into his future goals.
He planned on continuing to coach Gigi in basketball, helping her to become a student-athlete
at her dream school, the University of Connecticut.
He thought that his oldest daughter, Natalia, could use her passion for film to adapt his books into movies.
His youngest daughters, Bianka and Capri, would also get into basketball, with their
dad behind them every step of the way.
With all of these plans, Kobe even joked that Capri would have to play in Bianka's age group
so they could manage carpool.
Vanessa also sadly explained that Kobe was really looking forward to quality time with her.
She shared,
"We wanted to travel the world together."
…adding how her husband hoped to do all the things he missed out on during his time
as a busy star athlete.
Remembering that this is a dream that will, sadly, never be realized, the mom broke down
in tears on the stand.
Sadly, Kobe Bryant's dashed dreams aren't the only pain Vanessa Bryant carries.
The devoted mom recalled how, on February 28th, 2020, she was at home with her daughters
and a few close friends in their family game room, watching TV.
At this point, Vanessa had just held the February 24th memorial for Kobe and Gianna Bryant,
which was attended by fans and celebrities.
She testified on stand,
"I just had to get through 2-24, then I could start the grieving process."
But then she received a phone call from a friend about an article the Los Angeles Times
published alleging members of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department had shared gruesome photos
from the crash site.
The complaint was from January 29th, 2020, but Vanessa said she never received any contact
from Los Angeles County officials regarding the concerning matter.
It left her feeling, quote, "blindsided again," adding,
"I trusted them not to do these things."
"Not wanting to react", because her daughters were present, she passed off her nursing baby,
Capri, to her friend and, quote, "bolted out of the house" so the "girls couldn't see" her.
She then broke down and cried.
Vanessa recalled through sobs,
"I wanted to run down the block and just scream."
Now she sees her life through two choices:
"Try to live my life or end it."