After the heartbreaking news about Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant being killed in a helicopter was reported, many celebrities, TV personalities and everyday people shared precious moments of the former Los Angeles Lakers star.
One person in particular was ESPN personality Elle Duncan, who shared a personal conversation she had with Kobe when they met for the first time in 2018.
“I met Kobe one time, backstage at an event for ESPN in New York and I saw him and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s Kobe. I gotta get a picture for the ’Gram,’” she said.
“I didn’t get it for a few minutes because as I approached him, he immediately commented on my rather large eight-month pregnant belly. ‘How are you? How close are you? What are you having?’ A girl, I said, and then he high-fived me. ‘Girls are the best.'”
She continued, “I asked if he wanted more children and he said that his wife Vanessa really wanted to try again for a boy but was sort of jokingly concerned that it would be another girl. And I was like, ‘Four girls, are you joking? Like, what would you think? How would you feel?’ And without hesitation, he said, ‘I would have five more girls if I could, I’m a girl dad.'”
Since Duncan’s broadcast, social media erupted with users, mainly men, posting photos with their daughters using the hashtag #GirlDad to celebrate all the men who have girls.
But while #GirlDads are being highlighted, we honor the man who started the trendy hashtag with photos of his own.
Here are five sweet moments that showed the Oscar winner being a #GirlDad.
Had Daddy-Daughter Dates
Kobe took his daughter Natalia to a Demi Lovato concert for a date night in March 2018. He captioned the post, “Thank you @ddlovato for making date night with my baby girl a night to remember 🙏🏾 #daddysprincess.”
Brought Daughters to Postgame Interviews
After winning his fifth championship with the Lakers against the Boston Celtics in 2010, Kobe had daughters Giana and Natalia by his side as he talked to the press about the game.
Brought in 40th Birthday With Family
Kobe enjoyed a surprise 40th birthday with his family in Cabo San Lucas. He captioned the post, “Surprise family trip to Cabo for my bday #bryantbunch #40 #queenmamba #mambacitas.”
Loved Teaching Daughters New Things
Kobe posted a video on Instagram hilariously teaching his daughter Bianka the sound the elephant makes. He captioned the video: “Daddy the Elephant for our little Bianka. She understands a bunch of words already, the challenge now is getting her to speak in complete full crystal clear sentences at 1, she already has plenty of words in her vocab #babygirl #ourprincess.”
Gushed About Gianna During Visit to Jimmy Kimmel
In 2018, Kobe visited “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and talked about coaching his daughter Gianna and people saying he should have a boy instead.
“The best thing that happens is when we go out and fans would come up to me and she’ll be standing next to me and they’ll be like, ‘Aye, you gotta have a boy, you and V gotta have a boy, man. Gotta have somebody carry on the tradition, the legacy,'” he said. “She’s [Gianna] like, ‘Oh, I got this.'”
Kobe, Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash on Sunday. The NBA great and his daughter are survived by his wife Vanessa and their daughters Natalia, Bianka, and Capri, whose middle name is Kobe.
