As Vanessa Bryant watched the University of Connecticut Huskies win the 2025 NCAA championship, she couldn’t help but think of her late daughter, Gigi.
Immediately after the Huskies’ resounding victory against the Gamecocks of South Carolina in the final game on Sunday, April 6, due to the outstanding performances of Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, Vanessa, who is 42 years old, sent an homage to the talented players on Instagram.
An official logo from the University of Connecticut proclaiming that they are the champions was reposted by Vanessa, who commented, “Gigi would have loved being there with you.”
In addition, she included the following quotes: “When you think you can’t, UCONN’ – Gianna Bryant” and two heart emojis, one of which was broken in memory of her late daughter, who would have been 18 years old and most likely participating in March Madness.
Geno Auriemma, the head coach of the University of Connecticut basketball team, who has won a total of twelve national championships, was also tagged by Vanessa.
The terrible death of Gianna Bryant and her father, Kobe Bryant, occurred on January 26, 2020, when a helicopter crashed through the sky. Until the time of her demise, Gianna was a devoted supporter of the Huskies, and the institution felt the same way about her. Gianna “always wanted to play for the Huskies,” which has been one of the most successful women’s collegiate basketball teams in the nation for a long time, according to a study done by CNN in the year 2020.
Gianna’s No. 2 jersey was draped over one of the bench seats at the University of Connecticut as a gesture of respect one day after the deadly accident. On the table in front of it was a bouquet that had been wrapped in blue and white ribbons.
“Mambacita is forever a Husky,” was the caption that accompanied the X post.
The question was posed to Bueckers at a news conference after the victory of the Huskies on Sunday. The question was whether or not she had considered how Gianna would have been a part of the squad. In a video that was uploaded on X, the top player for the University of Connecticut said that there were instances “during the entirety of the tournament” in which God had “really shown himself.”
The information that Bueckers disclosed was that her mother has been sleeping in room 824, “both of Kobe’s numbers,” and “stuff like that.”
“I feel like a lot of that too is Kobe’s watching over us, and Gigi’s watching over us,” Bueckers said to the press.
