Natalia Bryant showed some epic birthday love to New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu on her 27th birthday on Friday. The two are close just as Ionescu was to her dad Kobe Bryant and sister Gianna.
They say game recognizes game. The WNBA All-Star Ionescu has the Mamba Mentality in her that Kobe himself helped instill while she was still in college with the Oregon Ducks .
The late Los Angeles Lakers legend would mentor Ionescu on and off the court and she’d help his daughter “Gigi” with her game. Ionescu met Bryant and his daughter in 2019 when they sat courtside at a Oregon-USC game. The following summer Ionescu was working out and learning game from Kobe. She’d fall in love for his enthusiasm and support of women’s basketball.
After Kobe and Gigi’s tragic passing in 2020 in a helicopter crash, Ionescu has remained close to the Bryants. Vanessa even watched her in the WNBA All-Star game (see photo above) and win gold over the summer in the Paris Olympics, where the two shared a heartfelt hug again afterwards …