On January 26, 2020, the sports world lost two gems. In remembrance of the tragic passing of NBA star Kobe Bryant and his budding soon-to-be professional daughter Gianna, they were posthumously honored with beautiful statues, four years later. Back in February, Bryant’s widow Vanessa announced that there will be three statues of the late athlete, one of which has already been unveiled before the Lakers’ game against the Denver Nuggets in the same month.

Following the unveiling of Bryant’s first statue in the No. 8 jersey, Vanessa and the Lakers revealed his second statue “outside the team’s home Crypto.com Arena, on Friday.” Many from the sports world joined in to pay tribute to Bryant and Gigi on social media. Among them was Russell Wilson’s wife and a close friend of Vanessa, Ciara Wilson.

A token of love for Vanessa and kids from CiCi!

Russell Wilson’s wife, Ciara Wilson, recently shared an Instagram story sending her love to Kobe Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, and her three daughters. The singer shared the post of her friend, Vanessa, in which the American philanthropist can be seen posing with her three daughters (Natalia Diamante, Bianka Bella and Capri Kobe), in front of the sculpture of Kobe and Gianna. In the now-expired Instagram story, Wilson wrote, “Love you guys so much,” while tagging Vanessa and Natalia.

Although it’s unclear when and how Ciara and Vanessa became good friends, the relationship between the two deepened more after the tragic helicopter accident. Since then, both women share each other’s joys and sorrows. For instance, when CiCi’s “How We Roll” made a debut on Ciara’s YouTube VEVO channel in August last year, Bryant’s widow took to her Instagram to share a snap of herself with the singer. She wrote, “That’s just how we roll” indicating her good friendship with the Grammy winner. Similarly, on Vanessa’s birthday on May 5, the Steelers quarterback and his wife shared a story of them together wishing her a “Happy Birthday.”

All these incidents show that the two families are close, supporting each other in their happy and tough times. That’s why when Vanessa unveiled Byrant’s and her daughter’s statues on an emotional day, Ciara made sure to send her love to the family via IG story.

This statue was actually unveiled on a special day, on August 2, 2024. And interestingly, this isn’t a random date, as it blends Bryant’s iconic jersey numbers (8 and 24) with Gianna’s (2).

The statue has a deep meaning!

In the unveiling event, Vanessa Bryant said that this statue explains a memorable moment between the father and the daughter. She said, “We merged two iconic courtside moments of Kobe and Gigi. Gianna has her gorgeous smile on her face,” and Kobe is sitting beside her kissing Gigi’s forehead, indicating a strong bond between them. When we closely look at the statue, Kobe is seen “wearing a WNBA hoodie and a Philadelphia Eagles beanie, which was actually gifted by Gianna on Christmas Day.” The statue also has wings on back, probably indicating that the two departed souls are now resting in peace in heaven.

Additionally, in the event, Vanessa highlighted a significant point of the sports world. She said, “We were faced with the harsh reality that no matter how great Gianna was or could be, no matter how great her daddy taught her how to play, or even if she played exactly like Kobe, she would not have had the same benefits and opportunities that her dad and young men currently have because she’s a girl.”

And that’s what this statue represents, asking everyone for a broader movement towards equal opportunities in athletics.