Vanessa Bryant recalls meeting Kobe 21 years ago and says it was ‘love at first sight’

Vanessa Bryant opened up about the first time she met Kobe Bryant in 1999.

Vanessa – who earlier this year tragically lost Kobe and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash – recalled the ‘love at first sight’ moment the couple experienced.

Vanessa and her daughters Bianka, Capri and Natalia have been forced to spend Thanksgiving without their beloved Kobe and Gianna this year.

And the annual family-centric celebration has left her heartbroken.

She recalls meeting her late basketball icon husband 21 years ago so far, as she took to Instagram to share a sweet photo of them together.

“Love at first sight 11/27/99 # 21,” she wrote, recalling the first time she laid eyes on Kobe at 17.

Vanessa went on to marry Kobe in 2001, with the couple welcoming four beautiful girls in the midst of their iconic basketball career.

She previously said of their relationship, “I was his first girlfriend, his first love, his wife, his best friend, his confidante and his protector. He was the most incredible husband.

“Kobe loved me more than I could ever express or put into words.”

But horror struck earlier this year, when Vanessa was tragically widowed.

She suffered inconceivable grief when Kobe and Gigi were killed in a helicopter crash on January 26.

The mum-of-four kept the memories of her loved ones alive with a number of touching social media posts, and has kept her husband’s legacy alive ever since.

LA Lakers hero and daughter Gigi were two of nine people killed when their helicopter crashed in Calabasas.

Others killed in the horror crash included Payton Chester, 13, Sarah Chester, 46, Alyssa Altobelli, 14, Keri Altobelli, 46, John Altobelli, 56, Christina Mauser, 38 and 50. pilot Ara Zobayan.

The group was traveling near Calabasas, Los Angeles, when the helicopter crashed into a hill during heavy fog.

Do you have a story to sell? Contact us at [email protected] or call us directly on 0207 29 33033