Vanessa Bryant Honored with Giving Tree Award at the 10th Annual Baby2Baby Gala
Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Los Angeles Lakers basketball legend Kobe Bryant, was honored at the 10th Annual Baby2Baby Gala on Saturday, November 13. Bryant made an emotional speech at the history-making event.
Vanessa Bryant was honored with the Giving Tree Award at the 10th Annual Baby2Baby Gala for her commitment to bettering the world for young babies living in poverty. Baby2Baby is a non-profit organization that provides children living in poverty with diapers, clothing, and all the necessities that every child deserves. As a mother to four girls (Natalia, Gianna, Bianka, and Capri), Bryant’s role as a mother is her greatest title.
Bryant delivered an emotional speech at the gala, paying tribute to her late husband, who loved attending Baby2Baby. Bryant begins, “I have to start by saying how much I miss my perfect date today. My husband Kobe loved attending.” As she becomes choked up, she tells the audience, “Sorry. He loved attending Baby2Baby galas. With his big smile, he would look at me and say, Babe, this is fricking awesome. Tonight, I’m your plus one… It’s the one event that I’m not obligated to do anything. I get to be your date, help families and enjoy great food.”
Bryant elaborates, “And after every Lakers game and all the glitz and glamour of a basketball game, my husband and I would notice the amount of homeless people on the drive home as we approached the freeway in downtown L.A. That was eye-opening to us and we wanted to do something about it, so we started our own foundation to help.” Bryant is referring to the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Foundation and the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, where Vanessa works tirelessly to help those in need.
Since Kobe could not be Vanessa’s plus one, her eldest daughter, Natalia, was her date to the gala. The mother-daughter duo looked pretty in pink for the beautiful night.
Ciara and Russell Wilson, Lala, Serena Williams, Gabrielle Union, Pau Gasol, Kelly Rowland, Kim Kardashian, Alicia Keys, and Natalia shared a three-minute video honoring Vanessa. The close friends of Bryant described the type of person Vanessa is in three words, the most common traits being how strong she is and how big her heart is.
Congratulations to Vanessa Bryant on this well-deserved recognition. Be sure to follow Baby2Baby and the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation to look for ways to better the world around you and beyond.
Writer | Tweet me @court__giles
