Being the quintessential “Girl Dad,” Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant is well recognized for his support of women’s sports. He had four children. Basketball player Sabrina Ionescu of the WNBA’s New York Liberty, who just won a gold medal with Team USA Women’s Basketball at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, was one athlete with whom Bryant had a great rapport.
Over the previous few decades, the men’s basketball team has had difficulties, but the women’s team has largely been in the lead. In the final, however, Team USA was pushed to the limit against France and narrowly prevailed 67-66 to win their eighth consecutive gold medal.
Later, Ionescu ran to embrace Kobe’s family, who were present courtside in Paris, and it was a lovely moment. According to NBC Olympics on X, the star guard enjoyed a moment with Vanessa Bryant and her daughters Natalia, Capri, and Bianka, who were present with Kobe’s Lakers teammate and close friend Pau Gasol and his wife:
It’s amazing to see the bonds that Kobe was able to build with people like Ionescu and a plethora of others even after his untimely death. The Lakers icon would be overjoyed to see the progress made in women’s sports, especially the WNBA, as Kobe was all about promoting women and women’s sports.
Similar to the men’s team, the women’s Team USA had to overcome significant obstacles in order to win a gold medal and return to Paris. Vanessa, Natalia, Bianka, and Capri had an amazing experience watching these women adopt the Mamba Mentality and ultimately overcome all obstacles.
Hailey Van Lith of Team USA attributes Lakers legend Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Mentality.
In 3×3 basketball, Team USA did not have the same level of success as they did in regular basketball at the Olympics. The women’s 3×3 team, which included college standout Hailey Van Lith, lost their opening three games in group play but rallied to win five straight games, taking the bronze medal and qualifying for the finals in Paris after defeating Canada.
Van Lith later gave the 3×3 squad credit for adopting Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Mentality and not letting their early defeats get to them. Van Lith went on to say that she thought Kobe would be pleased with her and her teammates for winning in the end and not going home from the Olympics empty-handed.
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