Saturday was a bittersweet day for Vanessa Bryant. The date marked 19 years since she and Kobe Bryant said their “I do's,” and it also marked the first wedding anniversary she’s faced without him.
But even though the NBA superstar died nearly three months before that marital milestone, she received a reminder of his love on their special day — in the form of flowers.
“Anniversary flowers from my Kobe,” the 37-year-old wrote alongside a set of photos featuring stunning bouquets.
She followed that with both a heart and a broken heart emoji, as well as an explanation about who the blooms were really from.
“Thank you for my red roses,” she wrote, listing the names of their daughters, Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3 and Capri, 10 months, as well as that of floral designer Jeff Leatham.
Among the children’s names, she also mentioned Gianna, who tragically passed away with her father at the age of 13.
“Thank you for my beautiful pink floral bouquet,” she continued, crediting Kobe’s former fellow Laker Pau Gasol and his wife, Cat Gasol, with sending them. “So thoughtful of all of you.”
But that Instagram post wasn’t the only way Vanessa Bryant honored her late husband on April 18. She also shared an old photo of them, cuddled close in each other’s arms.
“My king, my heart, my best friend,” she captioned the pic. “Happy 19th wedding anniversary baby. I miss you so much. I wish you were here to hold me in your arms. I love you.”
In addition to that, she shared video footage from an interview her late husband did with MTV in 2001, discussing their relationship and his adoration for her.
“You know, it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly makes a person the one for you, but you just know,” he said in the clip. ”Love is a funny thing. I can’t explain it, and I can’t understand it. All I know is, she caught my heart, and I just knew that she was the one.”
He continued, adding, “Vanessa, she’s very strong. She’s very strong-willed.”
In the same clip, the basketball legend offered his predictions for their future.
“In the future, I see us being two cool-a-- parents,” he said. “Young parents, full of energy. She has a ton of energy; I have a ton of energy.”
Both Kobe and Gianna Bryant have been honored in special ways over the past weeks.
He was posthumously elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 4. Gianna received an honor of her own from the WNBA. She, alongside her two teammates who also passed away in the January crash — Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester, was featured at the beginning of the virtual draft on April 17 as a representation of the “next generation of stars” in the WNBA.