Taylor Swift usually gives a young fan her black top hat at the end of her hit song “22.”
Kobe Bryant’s 6-year-old daughter Bianka attended the Swift concert at Los Angeles’s SoFi Stadium on Thursday. Swift pulled off her trademark black hat and dropped down to hug Bianka, who was there with her mother, Vanessa, and sisters Natalia, 20, and Capri, 4. Bianka was beaming ear to ear.
The singing star and Bianka spoke briefly before Swift laid the hat on her head, and video of the touching event quickly went viral.
Vanessa had hinted to her followers on Instagram that she would be attending the Swift event by posting a photo of a customized denim jacket with a moving homage to her husband, Kobe, who perished in a helicopter accident in 2020 along with their daughter, Gianna (Gigi), and seven others.
Vanessa’s jewel-encrusted denim jacket featured a picture of Kobe and Swift from 2015’s 1989 World Tour. Swift had the most sold-out gigs in the Staples Center when Kobe was a star player for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Vanessa also posted images of her group before, during, and after the show; her girlfriends met Taylor Swift backstage after the show ended.
She tagged one of the images with the words “Always love.”
Swift, a 12-time Grammy winner, will wrap off the U.S. leg of her tour on Wednesday in Los Angeles before heading overseas. Next year she plans to make additional appearances in North America.
More than three years have passed since the terrible and untimely helicopter accident. The Los Angeles Lakers have taken great strides to commemorate Bryant’s unique contribution to the team, the community, and the sport.
The Lakers plan to present a statue honoring Kobe and Gigi on August 8, 2024. Bryant’s two favorite numbers, 8 and 24, are referenced in the date.
Playing for probably the most legendary club in NBA history, Bryant had a level of success seldom seen by NBA players. Bryant played 20 seasons in the NBA, all with the Lakers, and won five championships, one MVP award, and was selected to 18 All-Star teams.
The monument will be a touching tribute to a legendary athlete and his daughter Gigi, whose lives were cut short.
