Kobe Bryant‘s impact transcended the limits of the basketball court. While the reports say he may have been a bit harsh as a teammate, his impact certainly earned him some deep bonds throughout his life. One such bond was with Canadian-American soccer star Sydney Leroux. The bond went to the extent of Leroux becoming a mentor to Kobe’s daughter, Gigi Bryant. And that bond has lasted to this day, as evident from Vanessa Bryant’s recent Instagram post.

The post includes a video featuring Leroux sharing hugs with the Bryant family and a photo of all of them in one frame. “I love you @sydneyleroux !!!!😘❤️ My badass sis!!! #2 🥰♉️ 💪🏾 Legend,” Vanessa wrote in the caption. The 34-year-old soccer player also responded to the love with her comment, “Love you guys sooo much!!!!!”

Notably, Leroux first met Kobe Bryant and his family in 2013 around the same time she was being attacked with racial slurs for playing for the US rather than Canada, as per an article by the LA Times. The first meeting itself developed a deep connection between the Bryant family and Sydney. This was a result of the Black Mamba himself being an avid soccer fan.

Apart from this, the 5x NBA champ’s daughters were Leroux fans. So much so that the soccer player became a mentor to Gigi Bryant. It is worth mentioning Gigi’s jersey number 2 was also inspired by Leroux, who wore the same number. And this bond was mutual, as reflected by Sydney’s IG post after Kobe and Gigi’s sad demise.

In the post, she revealed a heartfelt message that Bryant had once delivered for his daughter. “Gigi, you were a star. Your dad told me that you were going to be better than he was,” she stated. It is well-documented how close Kobe was to his daughters, popularizing the term girl dad.

Syndey Leroux’s heartfelt tribute to Kobe Bryant and Gigi on their passing away

“You had the gift no matter what you were playing,” the soccer player wrote for Gigi in her IG post. She further stated her belief in Gigi being in a better place from where she could look down on her mom and sisters with a big smile. “2 will always be ours,” she added.

As mentioned above, both Leroux and Gigi shared the same jersey number. And as a tribute to Gigi, the 34-year-old has a #2 tattoo in Gigi’s Jersey font on her. As for her tribute to the Black Mamba, Leroux thanked Bryant for allowing her into his beautiful family and for believing in her. She further spotlighted the 18x NBA All-Star’s support in her good and bad times.

“For your crazy book recommendations and your quotes… helping me write… teaching me to never soften for anybody… teaching me about the darkness and the light and the villains becoming the heroes,” Leroux added. While Vanessa’s recent IG post is one example of the lasting bond, her traveling with her daughters to Leroux’s game in March was another instance.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.