Vanessa Bryant Remembers Kobe's Iconic 81-Point Lakers Game
By Fiyin Olowokandi on January 27, 2022 at 8:00 AM EST
As the world mourns the 2nd anniversary of the tragic passing of Kobe and Gianna Bryant on January 26, 2020, nobody feels the loss more than Vanessa Bryant.
The loving wife and mother honored her late husband's impactful life by remembering his unforgettable 81-point Lakers game.
The matriarch proved that she will always be his biggest cheerleader no matter the distance between her and her late husband.
Vanessa Bryant Recalls Kobe's Legendary 81-Point Game
On Saturday, January 22, Vanessa uploaded a throwback image from her husband's memorable match with the Los Angeles Lakers. The game ended with an impressive 122 points, 66% of which Kobe scored.
In the heartwarming Instagram image, the NBA icon kissed his beautiful wife while carrying their firstborn, Natalia. The caption read, "81. ❤️❤️."
This image was dated back to January 22, 2006, when Kobe scored a whopping 81 points against the Toronto Raptors at Staples Centre.
This iconic 81 points by Kobe is the second-highest ever scored by any basketball player in a single game. Wilt Chamberlain holds the record for 100 points in 1962.
The Blast shared that Vanessa also marked her soulmate's posthumous 43rd birthday in August with a touching tribute and a message of undying love.
The late LA Laker's wife posted a photo of them kissing passionately after one of his NBA games while the golden Larry O'Brien Championship trophy shined in the foreground.
Vanessa captioned the post with an emotional message, "Happy birthday, Papi. Te Amo por siempre. Amor Eterno," which translates to "I love you forever. Eternal love."
Kobe Bryant's Wife Settles Lawsuit Against Estranged Helicopter Company
Vanessa has reached a settlement against Island Express, the company that owned and operated the helicopter, which took the lives of her husband and 13-year-old daughter.
The Blast obtained legal documents showing that the widow entered a confidential settlement with the company and others who lost their loved ones to the unfortunate accident.
Vanessa's lawsuit claimed the company and pilot were responsible for flying on a foggy morning to get Gianna and seven others to an LA youth basketball tournament.
The final investigation reports posited that the pilot was tempted to carry on with the flight owing to the celebrity status of the passengers.
This means, despite knowing how dangerous it is to operate a helicopter that fateful morning in January 2020, the pilot Ara Zobayan did not want to disappoint Kobe. After getting lost in the fog, the chopper crashed into a hillside at Calabasas.
Last June, the surviving family members and Island Express filed a "joint notice of settlement and joint request to vacate discovery deadlines."
This is the end of only one lawsuit chapter, as Vanessa is also suing the Los Angeles County after Sheriff deputies disseminated photos from the crash site.
According to multiple reports, a deputy showed the images to a patron inside a local bar, and the person reported the incident to the Police department.
In 2021, Vanessa's legal team was granted the freedom to name the officers involved in unprofessionally disseminating pictures from the accident scene.
Vanessa Bryant Recounted Learning About Helicopter Crash Online
Vanessa opened up about the painful experience of learning about her spouse and daughter's passing online in 2020.
The Blast revealed that the NBA icon's wife began receiving alerts on her social media, which read 'RIP Kobe,' per BBC.
These messages followed original reports stating that five people may have survived the crash. Vanessa recounted:
“I was trying to call my husband back, and all these notifications started popping up on my phone, saying, ‘RIP Kobe. My life will never be the same without my husband and daughter.”
Even worse than finding out about her loved ones passing from insensitive internet posts, Vanessa saw the horrific condition their clothes were in.
The 39-year-old kept their clothes and admitted that the state of the outfits showed how bad the crash was, and authorities were wrong to display the photos to others. She buttressed:
"And if their clothes represent the condition of their bodies, I cannot imagine how someone could be so callous and have no regard for them or our friends, and just share the images as if they were animals on a street."
