There was none like Kobe Bryant and there won’t be ever again. The LA Lakers legend may have passed on too early in life but his play and his contributions have left a legacy that can never be forgotten. However, for hoops fans, including WNBA legend Candace Parker, and even the rest of the Bryant family there’s no lack of basketball players still.

Kobe did not have sons to carry on his NBA heritage in exactly the way he played. But perhaps even better, he had four daughters. Always a supporter of women’s basketball, he had Gigi Bryant to continue the Mamba Mentality, a 13-year-old who loved basketball. And Parker, who has often voiced her support for Bryant, is perhaps a bigger fan of his daughter. The former WNBA pro just posted a picture of her special wristbands honoring two basketball greats.

“Whenever I need inspo I look at my wrist,” reads the caption, with a bunch of red and orange hearts. Parker’s wrist is adorned with two bracelets. The one in red reads, “#PlayGigisWay”, whereas the one in orange says, “Pat Summitt.” There could be no other famous Gigi in hoops than Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, and maybe she would have joined the Caitlin Clark train and made a name for herself like her dad one day.

As for the other name, it would be Parker’s way of honoring her late coach at Tennessee, who passed away in 2016. At the time of her retirement in 2012, Summitt’s 1,098 career wins were the most in college basketball history with the Lady Vols. Now, of course, that honor belongs to Geno Auriemma with 1217.

Candace Parker was a lifelong fan of Kobe and in February, she said on TNT, “We in the WNBA feel like Kobe was the person that uplifted our league. I think just in terms of him having his daughters and really teaching the game…It’s like always continue — no matter how many championships you have, how many games you win — to want to learn and get better and study the game.”

Parker continues to remain close to the Byant family and was present on the day the statue of Kobe and Gigi was unveiled at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. In fact, the retired player even turned mentor for the youngest Bryant once!

“Aunty Candace” Parker teaches Bianka Bryant

Sharing the same arena might have brought them together but Candace Parker continues to be connected to the family even after Kobe and Gigi Bryant’s passing. In an Instagram post from July 14, the former Sparks player, who played her last pro season in 2023, shared a few pictures and clips of her daughter Laila playing volleyball and dominating.

But what really caught some eyes was a picture of 7-year-old Bianka Bryant getting ready to shoot a basketball with the perfect form as Parker looked on from below the basket. Sharing the picture to her Instagram stories, Parker also wrote, “Look at the wrist loaded under the ball….on her toes…Basketball in her blood! #MiniMamba Aunty Candace is so proud of you BB”

Well, it looks like 10 years from now, we may have another basketball prodigy with the last name Bryant on our hands! She will have the genes and all the good coaching she could ever need from her 3x WNBA champion aunty, Candace Parker!