PA/Vanessa Bryant/InstagramIn the wake of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Giana’s tragic death, it has been revealed the basketball star had already trademarked GiGi’s sporting nickname.
Despite her young age, 13-year-old GiGi showed real promise in following in her father’s footsteps. So much so, Kobe had already trademarked ‘Mambacita’, her sporting name which hinted at Kobe’s own nickname, the Black Mamba.
According to reports, the paperwork had been filed on December 30 of last year, with plans to put the name on an array of sportswear, including shirts, shorts, hats, jerseys, sweatpants, sweatshirts and hoodies.
Kobe had already begun referring to the keen basketballer by her nickname on social media, praising his daughter’s basketball prowess in a number of videos.
According to TMZ, Alyssa Altobelli, who features in one of Kobe’s recent ‘Team Mamba’ posts, also died in the crash, alongside her mother and father, Keri and John Altobelli.
They were on the way to the Mamba Academy for a basketball practice when the crash occurred.
Eyewitnesses say they heard the helicopter sputtering before it crashed and burst into flames. The crash occurred shortly before 10am local time on Sunday, January 26, near Las Virgenes Road, south of Agoura Road. The crash reportedly ignited a fire, which made getting to the crash more difficult for emergency services.
Bryant famously used a helicopter to travel, dating back to his days as one of the greatest basketball players to grace this planet with the LA Lakers. He was even known to get a helicopter from Newport Beach, CA to the Staples Center in DTLA in his Sikorsky S-76.
Rest in peace to all those who tragically died in the shock accident.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.