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Nearly two weeks after their passing, Kobe Bryant’s daughter Gianna was honored at her middle school Harbor Day, where her jersey number was retired.
On Wednesday, Gianna’s mom Vanessa shared several videos from the ceremony, where members of the faculty told sweet stories about the 13-year-old, who perished in a helicopter crash with her dad and seven other victims.
In one video, the student council faculty advisor shared, “In the seventh grade when she said she’d run for student council I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to hear and see what she would do to help elevate our student population. We gave her one assignment and she ran with it as quickly and as eagerly as anyone I’ve ever seen. Gianna was an amazing leader in our student council. We will always remember her will to make things better and to strive for excellence.”
In another heartbreaking video, the music teacher said, “I taught Gianna since she was in the fifth grade. This is a person who never slung mud. Talking bad about others — I never heard her do that. She was always above that. She didn’t engage in trivial conversations that were not positive. She stayed positive. That’s something I’ve always remembered about her. She never came to school and bragged. She was one of the most humble people I’ve ever known.”
Another video featured sixth- and seventh-graders singing Maroon 5’s song “Memories” to honor Gianna. Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine shared the video, writing on Insagram, “It’s important to cry. It’s important to sing. It’s important to love so hard and hold on so tightly for as long as we can. Now more than ever. #GIRLDAD.”
One coach took to the gym floor and described Gianna as one of the “fiercest competitors,” adding, “She definitely represented the ‘Mamba Mentality’ every time she stepped on the floor.”
In the last video that Vanessa shared, Gianna’s #2 jersey was officially retired. A faculty member told the crowd, “Today, we honor Gianna as a student and as an athlete. As a coach, we always want to find and coach students who are committed, dedicated and passionate about a sport. Gianna was all of these. She was determined to learn everything she could about the sport of basketball and worked as hard as possible to develop her basketball skills. Today we are retiring Gianna’s basketball jersey to commemorate her athleticism and caring spirit that she shared with us. She will be the last person to wear the number 2 for the basketball team. We hope that when you look at her jersey hanging in our gym, you will remember Gianna and be inspired to work hard.”
Vanessa also posted photos from the ceremony, writing on Instagram, “My Gianna. God I miss you. I’ve been so lucky to have woken up to see your gorgeous face and amazing smile for 13 years. Wish it would’ve been until my last breath. Mommy loves you to the moon and back. Infinity plus 1. #2 #Mambacita #GigiBryant ❤️.”
Earlier in the day, Vanessa expressed how much she missed Kobe, her husband of nearly 19 years. She posted on Instagram, “Miss you so much… Miss you saying, ‘Bonjourno principessa/reina.'” She added the hashtags #mybestfriend, #theBestdaddy, #handsome, #sweet, #funny, #silly, #lovinghusband.
Vanessa also posted the video of Kobe participating in the “Extra” Rapid-Fire Quiz. She captioned the video with a heart emoji.
Funeral arrangements for Kobe and Gianna have not been revealed, but their bodies have been released to their family by the L.A. Coroner’s Office.