KEY POINTS

  • Natalia Bryant, the eldest daughter of the late Kobe Bryant, gets into USC
  • Kobe was an avid supporter of USC
  • Vanessa gifts daughter with special Trojan-themed kicks for getting into USC

It has been over a year since the tragic death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, but Vanessa Bryant and her three other daughters know that life goes on.

But the latest news about the Bryants would likely leave a heavy smile on the late NBA player’s face had he been around to learn about Natalia’s acceptance to USC.

Natalia was formally accepted into USC, officially making her a Golden Trojan on Thursday. Vanessa said that Kobe would have been proud of his eldest, considering that the five-time NBA champion was a huge supporter of the educational institution's athletics department and received a No. 24 jersey when he spoke at a business forum on campus in 2018, Los Angeles Times reported.

“Kobe Bryant briefly went to summer school at UCLA after his rookie season with the Lakers, but he quickly adopted USC as his school. He would occasionally attend games, speak at classes, and hired USC film students at his company. Now his oldest Natalia will be going to USC,” sports journalist Arash Markazi’s tweet read.

Vanessa revealed the good news through some heartwarming videos via her social media account. One of them included a clip showing how elated the 18-year-old daughter of the late Los Angeles Lakers icon was when she found out she got into USC.

Furthermore, Vanessa showed videos of gifts to Natalia. This included balloons, some USC apparel, and custom Trojan-themed Kobe shoes.

Natalia also posted a picture of herself on her official Instagram account, wearing USC gear and captioning it: “See uou soon.”

"You pushed through the most excruciating pain imaginable and you succeeded. I wish Daddy and Gigi were physically here to celebrate, but I know they’re here in spirit. We love you so much," Vanessa’s post read.

Vanessa Bryant
A rep for Vanessa Bryant denied the wife of Kobe underwent plastic surgery recently, but there is still much speculation as the now brunette bombshell has been seen in recent photos sporting a dramatically different face. Rumors began when a source told the National Enquirer that 30-year-old Bryant was feeling "insecure" about her looks because of her husband and wanted to "do anything to keep Kobe happy." Reuters

It has been a rewarding week for Natalia. Before she got accepted into USC, she signed with IMG Models in February.

But if one looks back at the previous Instagram posts of Vanessa, it appears Natalia also got accepted in other schools. That included Oregon and Loyola Marymount, but USC was the preferred choice of her daughter.