Gianna Bryant
| Gianna Bryant | |
|---|---|
| Other names | mambacita |
| Born | 2006-05-01 Orange County, California, U.S. |
| Died | 2020-01-26 Calabasas, California |
| Known for | basketball prodigy[1] |
Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant was the second daughter of Vanessa Laine Bryant and NBA player Kobe Bryant.[2][3][4] Bryant followed her father's example, and played basketball. Commentators reported that she was highly skilled, even though she was only a child.[5] Her father had told reporters Gianna was "'hellbent' on playing ball for Geno Auriemma at UConn." He described how he concurred with her judgement of basketball plays.[6] He coached the team she played on.[7]
The Hartford Courant reported, by 2018, that college basketball coaches were asking her father to encourage Bryant to attend their colleges, and join their teams.[8]
USA Today noted, in June 2018, that, at 12 years old, she was already taller than her mother, and speculated that, by the time she was grown, she might be close to as tall as her father.[9] They wrote "That size with Bryant’s skill is an absolutely terrifying combination for a young dynamo who clearly has the ability to dominate the flow of a game on the court."
On December 30, 2019, Bryant's father Kobe filed to trademark "Mambacite", her sports nickname, on her behalf.[1][10] His sports nickname had been "The Black Mamba", and her nickname reflected that she had mastered his style.[11] Sports jerseys, and other similar sports items, bearing her trademarked name, would be made available for her fans to buy.
Bryant, her father, and several other members of her team were all killed when the helicopter they were using to go to a game crashed.[11]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bob Miller. Kobe Bryant Filed Paperwork To Trademark His Basketball Prodigy Daughter Gianna As ‘Mambacita’, ABC News, 2020-01-27. Retrieved on 2020-01-26. “On December 30, he submitted paperwork to set ‘Mambacita’ on sports shirts, shorts, hats, jerseys, sweatpants, sweatshirts and hoodies, TMZ Athletics claimed on Monday.”
- ↑ Tim Reynolds. Gianna Bryant, 13, was going to carry on a basketball legacy with plans to play at UConn and beyond, Hartford Courant, 2020-01-27. Retrieved on 2020-01-26. “'Gigi was really turning into a special player,' said Russ Davis, the women’s basketball coach at Vanguard University in Southern California and someone who became close with Bryant in recent years. 'It’s hard to predict her future, but with the way she was improving and the way she understood the game, she was going to have a bright one.'”
- ↑ Cassandra Negley. Like father, like daughter: Kobe's daughter doesn't pass, makes circus shot, Yahoo Sports, 2019-11-15. Retrieved on 2020-01-26.
- ↑ Liz Roscher. Kobe Bryant's daughter Gianna is slaying on the court at 12 years old, Yahoo Sports, 2018-06-26. Retrieved on 2020-01-26. “Gigi may be Kobe’s daughter, but she didn’t just wake up one day with these insane skills. She’s been working on them for years. Here she is in May 2017 when she turned 11.”
- ↑ Kobe Bryant's Daughter Shows Off Mamba Skills In Insane Highlight Video, TMZ, 2019-05-20. Retrieved on 2020-01-26. “13-year-old Gianna Bryant -- one of Kobe's 3 daughters -- put on a clinic in an AAU game this past weekend ... flashing all the moves Kobe made famous in his 20-year NBA career.”
- ↑ Mike Anthony. For Kobe Bryant, UConn Basketball A Family Experience, Hartford Courant, 2018-04-05. Retrieved on 2020-01-26. “'My daughter loves Gabby Williams, absolutely loves Gabby, loves [all of them],' Bryant said. 'She watches their interviews, watches how they play and learns — not just in wins, but in tough losses, how they conduct themselves. It's great, as a parent, to be able to see my daughter pull inspiration from them.'”
- ↑ Arash Markazi. Kobe Bryant knows the truth: ‘The WNBA is a beautiful game to watch’, Los Angeles Times, 2019-05-27. Retrieved on 2020-01-26. “'This one,' Bryant said, pointing at his 13-year old daughter Gianna. 'She’s something else.' Bryant, who coaches his daughter’s club basketball team, took the girls to watch the Sparks play the Las Vegas Aces in their season opener here Sunday since they were already in town for a tournament. Throughout the game, Bryant spoke to his daughter and her teammates about certain plays and situations.”
- ↑ Kelly Stacey. NBA Legend Kobe Bryant Says His Daughter Is 'Hellbent' On Playing For UConn, Hartford Courant, 2018-10-25. Retrieved on 2020-01-26. “Miller was trying to convince Bryant to send his daughter to UCLA, even grabbing the Lakers legend and shouting “UCLA” when Bryant said, “She is hellbent on UConn. Really.””
- ↑ Cam Smith. Kobe Bryant's daughter Gianna shows off transition defense, slick spin move, USA Today, 2018-06-26. Retrieved on 2020-01-26. “And now, at age 12, her genes are beginning to kick in; the pre-teen is already taller than her mother and could eventually get close to her future Hall of Fame father’s height.”
- ↑ Kobe Bryant Filed Trademark for GiGi's Nickname 'Mambacita', TMZ, 2020-01-27. Retrieved on 2020-01-26. “TMZ Sports obtained the paperwork Kobe filed for "Mambacita" on Dec. 30, 2019. Of course, the name is both a tip of the hat to GiGi's father -- the Black Mamba -- and also to her own growing prowess on the hardcourt.”
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Karen Mizoguchi. Kobe Bryant Filed Trademark for Daughter Gianna's Nickname 'Mambacita' a Month Before Their Deaths, People magazine, 2020-01-27. Retrieved on 2020-01-26. “Gianna’s “Mambacita” moniker was a twist on her father’s alter ego “The Black Mamba,” which he created when he started a new chapter by switching his jersey number from 8 to 24 during the 2006 to 2007 season.”