Pro Soccer Player Sydney LeRoux Says She 'Won't Forget Any of' What Mentor Kobe Bryant Taught Her
Soccer player Sydney LeRoux is remembering her mentor Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who were both tragically killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
LeRoux, 29, shared a tribute on Instagram to the father-daughter pair, beginning by addressing Gianna, who also went by “Gigi.”
“Gigi you were a star. Your dad told me that you were going to be better than he was,” LeRoux wrote. “You had the gift no matter what you were playing. I know you’ll be looking down on your mom and your sisters with your big smile while shooting hoops with your dad, doing what you both love. 2 will always be ours.”
LeRoux played soccer at the University of California, Los Angeles before playing in the National Women’s Soccer League. The athlete currently plays for the Orlando Pride and like Gianna did, LeRoux wears a No. 2 jersey.
The mother of two then addressed Bryant, thanking him for all that he taught her.
“Kobe – thank you for allowing me in to your beautiful family,” the Olympian continued. “Thank you for believing in me. Being there for me during the good times and the tough ones. For your crazy book recommendations and your quotes. For helping me write. For teaching me to never soften for anybody. For teaching me about the darkness and the light and the villains becoming the heroes.”
“I won’t forget any of it,” LeRoux concluded. “I’ll miss you.”
LeRoux and Bryant first connected because his daughters were fans of the soccer player, and the athlete told Fox Sports in 2014 that the Lakers legend quickly became her go-to person for her questions about navigating life as a professional athlete.
“I get to pick his brain on how he became who he was and what it took to get there,” she said at the time. “We have a really cool relationship. I look up to him so much as an athlete and a person. I think he sees something in me. He knows my story of how I grew up and what it took to get here and I think that a big part of him really respects that.”
Like Bryant, LeRoux turned pro at a young age. She joined the U.S. Women’s National team when she was only 20; Bryant was drafted into the NBA when he was 17.
RELATED: Gianna Bryant’s Dream School, UConn, Honors 13-Year-Old Player with Her Own Huskies Jersey
Bryant and Gianna were two of nine people to die in Sunday’s helicopter crash that included Christina Mauser, John Altobelli, 56, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, 45, Payton Chester and pilot Ara Zobayan, 50.
Bryant is survived by wife Vanessa, 37, and their daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months.
