Article By Trinity Walker // EEW Magazine Online // Tributes

We are praying for Vanessa Bryant who posted a beautiful and heartbreaking message to her late husband Kobe Bryant and their daughter Gianna on what would have been the NBA superstar’s 42nd birthday Sunday, Aug. 23.

“I love you and miss you more than I can ever explain. I wish you and Gigi were here to celebrate YOU!” she said in a widely shared Instagram post sparking an outpouring of love, prayers and emotional responses.

“I think about your tenderness and patience all the time. I think about everything you would do in situations to help me deal with everything thrown my way,” she said.

In her post, Bryant shares the loneliness, emptiness and personal pain involved in trying to pick up the pieces and navigate life following the death of Kobe, 13-year-old Gigi and seven others who were all killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on January 26. The former Los Angeles Lakers player and those on board were headed to a basketball game at the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks when the plane went down.

"Our lives feel so empty without you and Gigi. I've been completely broken inside. As much as I want to cry, I put a smile on my face to make our daughters’ days shine a little brighter. I'm not the strong one, they are. They're strong and resilient. I'm sure you're proud of them. They put a smile on my face every day," Bryant wrote.

"I wish I could wake up from this horrible nightmare. I wish I could surprise our girls and welcome you and Gigi home to us. I'm mad I didn't go first. I always wanted to go first so that I selfishly didn't have to feel this heartache. You were supposed to miss me. Gigi was supposed to be here with her sisters. It should've been me."

Bryant also thanked Kobe for showing her genuine love and patience when he was alive. She said, he loved her “enough to last several lifetimes."

"I know my Gigi is celebrating you like she always has on our special days. I miss my thoughtful princess so much!” Bryant continued. “Natalia, Gianna, Bianka, Capri and I wish you a happy birthday my love. I love you for now, forever and for always.”

In addition to Bryant’s tribute, a flood of commemorations were shared from supporters around the world.

The Lakers posted a tribute of their own in the form of a highlight reel marking special moments in Kobe’s 20-year career with the Lakers organization.

Watch below.