Vanessa Bryant Announces Special 'Girl Dad' Sneakers in Honor of Kobe

Bryant shared a look at the special edition sneakers on Instagram

Vanessa Bryant attends the World Premiere of Renaissance: A Film By Beyonce at Samuel Goldwyn Theater on November 25, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California.
Vanessa Bryant. Photo:

Amy Sussman/WireImage

As Vanessa Bryant continues to keep husband’s memory alive, she recently announced a pair of “Girl Dad” sneakers in honor of late NBA legend Kobe Bryant as part of a new collaboration with Nike.

Posting to Instagram, Bryant shared the special edition sneakers — which are available just in time for Father’s Day — are olive green in color with black laces and feature the iconic Nike swoosh logo, also in black. The shoes are highlighted with Kobe’s signature on the back, his basketball number 24 and “Girl Dad” written in white script inside the shoe’s tongue.

Vanessa Laine Bryant and Kobe Bryant attend the 2019 Baby2Baby Gala presented by Paul Mitchell on November 09, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.
Vanessa Bryant and Kobe Bryant.

Stefanie Keenan/Getty

Bryant captioned one of the posts showcasing the shoes, writing, “For our Most Valuable Girl Dad. This Father’s Day we celebrate Kobe’s commitment and love for our daughters Natalia, Gianna, Bianka and Capri with the Kobe 4 Protro ‘Girl Dad’.”

In another post she wrote, “GIRL DAD 💚🧡💚🧡 Grateful for the passion Kobe had for our daughters and the light he brought to women’s sports.”

Earlier this month, Bryant honored her late daughter, Gigi, who died in the same small plane crash as Kobe in January 2020, by hosting a basketball camp on what would have been her 18th birthday. 

On Saturday, May 4, Bryant, 42, shared a post on Instagram, in which she revealed that she and her family hosted a basketball camp for girls and boys.

“In honor of Gianna’s 18th birthday, we hosted a special @MambaMambacitaSports Skills Academy basketball camp with @nikela, @lakers, and @uscwbb to share my daughter’s PLAY GIGI’S WAY™ spirit for boys and girls from local LA community organizations,” Vanessa wrote in the caption while sharing photos from her time at the camp. 

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“We loved seeing their passion for basketball by embracing joy, curiosity, and competitiveness, while never taking any opportunity for granted, just like Gigi. #PlayGigisWay❤️#HappyBirthdayGigi #18,” she continued, signing off with Gianna’s birthdate of May 1.

Bryant also posted another montage video from her time at the camp on Instagram on Sunday, May 5. In that clip, she said in a speech, “We’re here to celebrate Gigi’s 18th birthday. So I am so happy to see you all here to play with joy and curiosity like she always did.”

She added that the children would also be gifted with basketballs and “Gianna's brand-new shoes,” referring to the new Nike Kobe 8 Mambacita sneakers.

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