Vanessa Bryant is honoring “the best girl dad.”
To celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday, June 20, the 39-year-old star paid tribute to her late husband, Kobe Bryant—who tragically died in a helicopter crash with their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, and several others in January 2020.
“To the best girl dad. Happy Father’s Day, Papi,” Vanessa captioned her Instagram post. “We love you forever and always, always and forever. Love you always, Nani, Gigi, B.B, Koko and VB.”
The California native also shared a throwback image of the Lakers legend smiling from ear to ear with his four daughters by his side. The photo appeared to be taken from his 44th birthday celebration in August 2019, two months after Capri “Koko Bean” Bryant was born.
Following Kobe and Gianna’s untimely death, the term “girl dad” quickly began trending worldwide. At the time, SportsCenter anchor Elle Duncan recalled her past interaction with Kobe, in which he used the heartfelt phrase.