Vanessa Bryant made a statement about Kobe and Gianna, and she announced a memorial fund for all crash victims' families

Morgan Noll
·3 min read

Vanessa Bryant just made her first statement since husband Kobe and daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash on Sunday, January 26th. Bryant made the statement via Instagram, alongside a beautiful family photo. She started by thanking all those who have shown support and love “during this horrific time” and reflected on her and her family’s devastating loss.

“We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe—the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna—a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri,” Bryant wrote.

Rodin Eckenroth, Getty Images
Rodin Eckenroth, Getty Images

She also expressed her and her family’s empathy for all the families who lost loved ones in the crash on Sunday. “We share in their grief intimately,” Bryant wrote. In order to offer support for all of these families during their time of collective grief and to honor those lost, Bryant announced that the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund. All donations will be directed to the families of those who died in the crash.

To donate, head to MambaOnThree.org. As explained on the site, the fund exists to honor and support loved ones of those lost in the crash.

The Mamba Sports Foundation is a charitable organization aimed to provide sports opportunities and funding for at risk-youth and to engage veterans through sports, and Bryant encouraged those who want to “further Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports” to visit the Mamba Sports Foundation page.

View this post on Instagram

My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time. Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them. We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately. There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon. I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them. But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless — and that’s to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever. Thank you for sharing your joy, your grief and your support with us. We ask that you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality. To honor our Team Mamba family, the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund to help support the other families affected by this tragedy. To donate, please go to MambaOnThree.org. To further Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports, please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org. Thank you so much for lifting us up in your prayers, and for loving Kobe, Gigi, Natalia, Bianka, Capri and me. #Mamba #Mambacita #GirlsDad #DaddysGirls #Family ❤️

A post shared by Vanessa Bryant 🦋 (@vanessabryant) on Jan 29, 2020 at 4:59pm PST

The Los Angeles Lakers also made a statement via Instagram on Wednesday night. They shared the same links for those looking to offer donations and support and sent their love to those affected, writing:

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Bryant was candid in her post about not knowing where to go from here.

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Bryant also asked that everyone be respectful toward all the families affected by the tragedy and grant them the “privacy we will need to navigate this new reality.”