Vanessa Bryant Receives Gift 'From Kobe' For Their 19th Wedding Anniversary

Vanessa Bryant, wife of late NBA basketball legend Kobe Bryant, received a touching surprise to commemorate their 19th wedding anniversary.

In her Instagram post on Saturday (April 18), Vanessa shared a picture of a lovely floral bouquet that she received from her husband’s former teammate, Pau Gasol. Bryant and Gasol once played side by side from 2008 to 2014 for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The bouquet of roses was sent by Gasol, along with his wife Cat, and was arranged to be delivered on the day of Vanessa and Kobe’s wedding anniversary. The post was captioned: "Anniversary flowers from my Kobe.___Thank you for my red roses @nataliabryant #GiannaBryant #BiankaBryant #CapriBryant @jeffleatham Thank you for my beautiful pink floral bouquet @catmcdonnell7 @paugasol So thoughtful of all of you."

Upon revealing their anniversary tribute, Vanessa’s post quickly drew in netizens and onlookers. Family, friends and fans crowded the post with their comments, each expressing their heartfelt empathy towards the bereaved family.

Before Vanessa’s post on the anniversary gift, she already commemorated what would have been 19 years of their wedding, Entertainment Tonight reported. On that day, she took to Instagram to share a throwback photo of Kobe giving her a kiss on the cheek while they snugged up together on a couch.

She captioned a touching message with, “My king, my heart, my best friend. Happy 19th wedding anniversary baby. I miss you so much. I wish you were here to hold me in your arms. I love you.”

A source also told ET how Vanessa and her daughters will be celebrating the wedding anniversary. It is reported that they plan to spend it in their own special way, with Vanessa holding it privately, even without the currently imposed quarantine.

The two-decade-long marriage came to a tragic end upon Kobe’s untimely death in a helicopter crash in Calabasas. Gianna, their 13-year-old basketball aspirant daughter, was also among the victims of the crash along with seven others. Including Vanessa, the other surviving members of Kobe’s family are daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and 7-month-old Capri.

Vanessa and Kobe first met in a shoot for a music video back in 1999. The NBA legend was reportedly only 21 years old, while Vanessa was just 17. They then tied the knot on April 18, 2001.

Click here for more photos of Vanessa and Bryant’s relationship through the years.