Vanessa Bryant Delivers Special Gifts To LA Kids Affected By Fires

Vanessa Bryant recently brought smiles and hope to children affected by the devastating Los Angeles fires by distributing special gifts through the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation.

In a heartwarming gesture, she aimed to support families in need while honoring her late husband, Kobe Bryant's legacy of giving back to the community. The act of kindness not only provided immediate relief but also inspired resilience and unity during challenging times.

Vanessa, known for her philanthropy efforts, is helping to put a smile on the faces of children who were affected by the LA fires. At an event with Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, the mom of four helped to hand out Kobe sneakers and other items.

LA Sports Report shared the news in an Instagram post captioned, "Vanessa Bryant is at Dodger Stadium today with the Mambacita foundation passing out shoes and other items to kids that were affected by the Los Angeles fires."

Many viewers took to the comments to share their support and love.

"Thank you, Bryant family," one person wrote. Another added, "Mamba Queen."

Vanessa also shared a video from the day on her Instagram page captioned, "Over 8,000 pieces of apparel and sneakers were donated to families in need for the LA Strong Essentials Distribution today. Thank you @Dodgers for hosting. Thank you to our family, friends and new friends that helped distribute apparel and sneakers today! We couldn’t have done this without you. There’s a long road to recovery ahead of us, so stay tuned for our ongoing efforts to help LA rebuild."

In a recent Instagram post, Vanessa revealed that the house she lived in with Kobe when they got married is in the area one of the LA fires began.

"Kob and I used to live in the Palisades when we first got married (sadly, that home was on the street where the initial fire started). We have so many beautiful memories from living in L.A. There are no words to make all the loss and devastation any better," her caption reads.

"My heart and prayers go out to everyone in LA who are affected by the fires. Our @mambamambacitasports is currently working to help the L.A. community. We love you, L.A.! We Love you @baby2baby!"

The carousel of photos and videos shared shows volunteers packing disaster relief bags with Baby2Baby, a note from Vanessa that reads, "We love you L.A.," and a photo of a Kobe mural in LA.

The Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating positive impacts through sports. Founded in honor of Kobe and Gigi, the foundation focuses on empowering underserved athletes and young women through sports education, training, and opportunities.

With a mission to carry forward Kobe and Gigi’s legacy, the foundation provides grants, funding, and resources to support youth sports programs and advance gender equality in athletics. Through its work, the foundation inspires the next generation to excel both on and off the court.

For more information about the foundation, visit their website.

In August, a new Kobe and Gianna statue at Crypto.com Arena was unveiled during a private ceremony. The new sculpture, titled "Girl Dad," honors the amazing bond shared between the father and daughter.

Vanessa and the Lakers franchise held a special private ceremony on August 2, where Vanessa gave a moving tribute to her late husband and daughter.

"Today's date, 8-2-24 has so much significance and represents Kobe and Gianna's uniform numbers, 8, 2, and 24. The sculpture shows Kobe with his arm around Gianna and a set of angel wings hugging them together," she said.

"They're surrounded by hedges with round benches, purple and yellow flowers, and embedded butterflies made of purple and gold onyx around them. We merged two iconic courtside moments of Kobe and Gigi. Gianna has her gorgeous smile on her face and Kobe is kissing the top of her head while wearing the Philadelphia Eagles beanie that Gigi gifted him for Christmas. He's also wearing a WNBA hoodie he wore courtside to the game with Gigi."

Vanessa honored her late daughter on what would have been her 18th birthday last year with a special butterfly-themed sneaker release. The Kobe 8 Protro "Mambacita" pays homage to Gigi and celebrates her impact on basketball and athletes with the joy she brought. The special edition sneaker became available on May 1, 2024.

Vanessa shared the new sneakers on her Instagram page in a few posts honoring her daughter's 18th birthday.

"Gigi changed the game. Forever. On 5.1 we celebrate Gianna 'Gigi' Bryant’s 18th birthday and the transformational impact she had on highlighting women’s sports with the release of the Kobe 8 Protro ‘Mambacita,'" she wrote in the caption of a video featuring the shoe.

Her caption also explained that proceeds of the shoes will benefit the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, a nonprofit started by Vanessa dedicated to supporting underserved child athletes.