The love that Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant had for women’s sports is well known as he had four daughters and was the ultimate ‘Girl Dad.’ One athlete whom Bryant had an excellent relationship with was basketball star Sabrina Ionescu of the WNBA’s New York Liberty, who also was a member of the Team USA Women’s Basketball squad that just took home a Gold Medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
While the men’s basketball team has had its share of challenges over the past couple decades, the women’s squad has been mostly dominant. But Team USA was pushed to the brink against France in the final, barely escaping with a 67-66 victory to secure their eighth consecutive Gold Medal.
Afterwards, a beautiful moment occurred as Ionescu ran over to hug Kobe’s family, who was in attendance courtside in Paris. The star guard shared a moment with Vanessa Bryant as well as daughters Natalia, Capri and Bianka who were there with Kobe’s Lakers teammate and close friend Pau Gasol and his wife, via NBC Olympics on X:
An INCREDIBLE moment: Sabrina Ionescu (@sabrina_i20) embraces the Bryant family after Team USA captures gold at the #ParisOlympics. pic.twitter.com/TZDtfsD0F4
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 11, 2024
It is wonderful to see the relationships that Kobe was able to form with the likes of Ionescu and so many others continues to carry on after his tragic passing. Kobe was all about uplifting women and pushing forward women’s sports and the growth that has been seen in the WNBA in particular would be something the Lakers legend would be so happy to see.
Much like the men’s squad, women’s Team USA had to push through some serious challenges to leave Paris with a Gold medal. It was undoubtedly a great experience for Vanessa, Natalia, Bianka and Capri to see these women embrace that Mamba Mentality and not be denied in the end.
Team USA’s Hailey Van Lith credits Lakers icon Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Mentality
While Team USA were heavily favored and came out on top in regular basketball at the Olympics, the same could not be said about 3×3 basketball. The women’s 3×3 squad which featured college star Hailey Van Lith struggled in group play, losing their first three games, but were able to battle back and win five straight contests, ultimately leaving Paris with a Bronze medal, defeating Canada to do so.
Afterwards, Van Lith credited the 3×3 team for embracing Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Mentality and not letting those early losses keep them down. Van Lith added that she felt Kobe would be proud of her and her teammates for getting that final win and not leaving the Olympics empty-handed.
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