Kobe Bryant's daughter Gianna would have carried on his legacy

When reports of Kobe Bryant's death started trickling in on Sunday, little did everyone know that it would be followed by another blow―his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, also known as Gigi, was killed in the helicopter crash as well. The two of them were on their way to a basketball game at Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy, where Gianna's team was playing, with her dad coaching them.

Bryant's death stunned the world of sports and witnessed an outpouring of grief. What made it even more tragic for his fans and followers is how the life and promising career of his teenage daughter was cut short. Gianna was expected to follow her father's footsteps as she had a passion for the sport.

Following his retirement in 2016, Bryant had been focussed on spending more time with his family, especially training Gianna as she sought to follow her dream to become a player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

In 2018, while appearing as a guest on the show Jimmy Kimmel Live, Bryant said that his daughter wanted to play in the WNBA. He mentioned that whenever he stepped out with his family, his fans would come up to him and ask him to try to have a boy. “You've gotta have a boy. You gotta have somebody to carry on your tradition, the legacy,” Bryant said on the show. However, he said that anytime that happened and Gianna was right there, she would step in and say, “Oy, I got this.”

“That's right. Yes, you do. You got this,” Bryant had said on the show.

[File] Gianna was a basketball player in her own right | AP

The former LA Lakers player was also coaching Gianna's team and went with them to games in the weekends. The father-daughter duo would go for basketball games together, and were even seen animatedly discussing the game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Brooklyn Nets sometime last year.

Legendary basketball player Michael Jordan, after learning about Bryant's death, said that he loved him like a little brother. He also didn't fail to mention Gianna's potential and love for the game.

“He (Kobe Bryant) was a fierce competitor, one of the greats of the game and a creative force. Kobe was also an amazing dad who loved his family deeply, and took great pride in his daughter's love for the game of basketball,” Jordan said.

It was no secret that Bryant wanted Gianna to be a basketball player. He often shared pictures and videos of them playing together. Bryant saw the potential in her, but the world of basketball may have missed out on the star quality of the teenager who would have gone on to carry on the legacy of her father.