It’s been over a year and a half since basketball star Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and seven others perished in a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
Since then, memorials and tributes have risen for the fallen NBA legend and the legacy he lives behind. His family, as well, have shown that the memory of him and Gigi have always lived on in their hearts and minds.
In an interview with Teen Vogue, Bryant’s oldest daughter, Natalia, opened up about her thoughts on the situation and how she’s been coping so far.
“You do the best that you can,” she said. “[For] my little sisters, [we’re] trying to keep that memory for them and also just trying to remember to live out every day the way they would.”
On the subject of her father, Natalia admitted that she doesn’t shy away from conversations about him. “I love talking about my dad,” she shared. “It’s bittersweet, but I enjoy talking about him more than it’s sad for me.”
The 18-year-old also shared stories of tender moments with her superstar dad, such as the time the pair went to watch Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker together. “He was just like the best girl dad ever,” she said. “He was just letting me play my playlist and jam out to Taylor Swift the whole ride back, and talk about Star Wars too. It was so much fun.”
Now, Natalia has started her first year at the University of Southern California, a new beginning that had mom Vanessa crying.
“Today was rough,” she captioned a photo of her daughters wearing USC gear. “This was before the tears came down.”
Natalia has also quit volleyball, a sport that she’s played all throughout high school, and began her modeling career with IMG Models. The future seems pretty bright for the new CoverGirl, who’s always been encouraged to stay grounded in who she is.
“Growing up, my parents made it as normal as possible,” she said. “Thank God they did. It’s not, ‘Oh she’s Natalia Bryant, she’s Kobe Bryant’s daughter.’ A lot of times they saw me as, ‘She’s just Nani.’”
