![]() ![]() That’s how the world got to know who his brother was. ![]() And somehow, even for a story this painful, Tony Altobelli has managed to do that. ![]() Tony Altobelli is the sports information director at that school sports information directors are tasked with promoting their teams, in good times and bad, always trying to find a positive way to tell a story. John Altobelli was the baseball coach at Orange Coast College in Southern California. Alyssa Altobelli was a teammate of Gianna Bryant she was on the helicopter along with John, her father, and mother Keri. Tony Altobelli lost his actual brother, John Altobelli, in the crash. “Out of respect to my brother,” Butler said.īutler and Bryant were brothers in the teammate sense. When Butler played for the Lakers, Bryant strongly urged him to kick the habit.īutler was taping an ad last year for Mountain Dew. Butler famously had a longtime affinity for Mountain Dew, even drinking it during games when others thought he was having Gatorade. When you think about being better, embracing the storm, having the right mentality and perspective about life and always trying to be better, he embodied it all and that’s why his legacy will live forever.”īryant is gone, but that doesn’t mean Butler is wavering on a promise he made. “The legacy that he left, man, he did it all. “God rest his soul, God rest the soul of Gigi and the seven others that perished,” said Miami assistant coach and former NBA player Caron Butler, who was close with Bryant for years. He still resonates, maybe more than ever. 4 scorer in NBA history, a 20-year veteran of the league – left behind, it has been erased. Tributes have been made.Īnd if there was any doubt about what kind of legacy Bryant – a five-time NBA champion, still the No. Yet his presence was so clearly felt in each of those moments.īryant, his daughter Gianna and the other seven people who climbed aboard that helicopter on a Sunday morning in Southern California have been gone for exactly one year – Tuesday marks the grim anniversary of the crash that took their lives. He wasn’t there to hear the Basketball Hall of Fame announced that his career was worthy of enshrinement. He wasn’t at the All-Star weekend in Chicago where half the players wore his number on their uniforms, the other half wearing his daughter’s jersey number. They were so full of joy and adventure.Kobe Bryant wasn’t in the bubble with the Los Angeles Lakers last fall when they won the NBA championship. They were funny, happy, silly, and they loved life. Everybody naturally gravitated toward them. Vanessa says, “They were so easy to love. He taught them how to be brave and how to keep pushing forward when things get tough.”Īnd Kobe’s bond with his daughter Gianna was the sweetest it crowned Vanessa and Kobe’s love in the best way possible. He always told the girls how beautiful and smart they were. Vanessa pointed out Kobe’s fatherly love and parenting skills, saying, “Kobe was the MVP of girl dads or MVD. He was the early bird, and I was the night owl I was fire and he was ice, and vice versa at times.” Kobe loved me more than I could ever express or put into words. She said, “He was my sweet husband and the beautiful father of my children. And she admitted they never got the chance to do it.Īfter the helicopter crash, Vanessa delivered a powerful speech at the memorial for Kobe and her daughter Gigi. She received massive bouquets of roses, and Kobe also picked her up from school in his posh car.Īfter Kobe’s tragic death, Vanessa would recall that Kobe sent her a sweet text and mentioned how he wanted to spend time together, just the 2 of them because she was his best friend first. ![]() It was there where he met his future wife, Vanessa. He dreamed of launching a rap career aside from being a professional basketball player and even tried to enter the music industry circles. When they met, Kobe had just entered his 20s and was coming into his own as a budding NBA star and member of the Los Angeles Lakers. The couple share 4 kids, all girls: Natalia, Gianna, Bianka, and Capri. Their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was also on the helicopter with her dad. The couple met as young adults and built a happy family together until the basketball star died tragically in a helicopter crash in January 2020. Vanessa and Kobe Bryant’s love story might deserve its own book. ![]()
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