Vanessa Bryant Pays Tribute to Kobe and Gianna in New Book
Vanessa Bryant, the wife of National Basketball Association (NBA) legend Kobe Bryant will publish a new book enshrining her late husband and their daughter Gianna (Gigi), who tragically passed away in a disastrous helicopter crash in January 2020.
The book, is titled Mamba & Mambacita Forever (MCD) and will hit shelves on August 19. Just a few days before the designated “Kobe Bryant Day” on August 24 in Los Angeles and Orange County.
Vanessa Bryant is releasing a new book “Mamba and Mambacita Forever” this August, showcasing Kobe and Gigi murals from around the world.
— Kobe Bryant Stories & Motivation (@kobehighlight) January 25, 2025
Via @kobemurals pic.twitter.com/WwcWvYXxB8
The name of the book pays tribute to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, the NBA superstar founded before his passing. Following the fatal helicopter crash in 2020, Bryant’s wife changed the name of the non-profit to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation.
“Because there is no #24 (Kobe) without #2 (Gianna),” Bryant wrote in an Instagram post at the time, referencing Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s jersey numbers.
Vanessa Bryant and the Mamba and Mambacita Foundation at Dodger Stadium, handing out Kobe shoes to kids affected by the fires. pic.twitter.com/HZMdjIksj4
— Kobe Bryant Stories & Motivation (@kobehighlight) January 17, 2025
How Vanessa Bryant Will Enshrine Kobe and Gianna Bryant?
Bryant’s book will pay tribute to her husband’s legacy as a world-renowned basketball player, alongside their daughter’s legacy as a young athlete passionate about promoting women’s inclusion in sports. Bryant collected stories and images of the two to “ensure that the murals of Kobe and Gianna Bryant will live on even after the most monumental murals themselves have all crumbled,” according to the book’s press release.
“Taken together, what emerges is the story of a man who became even more than he himself could have imagined, an avatar of determination, discipline, and competitiveness. He was also a worldwide icon, one of the greatest athletes of our time, a man committed to his family and to fatherhood,” the release continued.
For the book’s photography, Bryant collaborated with Andrew D. Bernstein, an award-winning photographer who had previously worked with her husband on his 2018 autobiographical book, The Mamba Mentality: How I Play
In addition to the memoir, the NBA superstar wrote several sports fantasy books, such as Legacy and the Queen and Legacy and the Double.
If you want to read about how Bryant honored her late husband and daughter, be sure to pick up a copy of Mamba & Mambacita Forever when it hits shelves on August 19.
