Ever since Kobe and Gigi died in the tragic helicopter crash earlier last January, the Bryant family’s matriarch has opened her social media account to the public to express her gratitude towards the fans who paid tribute and respect to their deceased loved ones. Over the past few months, Vanessa has been expressing her emotions through her Instagram posts whenever she misses Kobe and Gigi.
She is also sharing snaps at home together with her daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and 11-month-old Capri. But over the weekend, the mother-of-four decided to take a huge social media step so she and her daughters could move on from Kobe and Gianna’s death.
Blocking Fans On Social Media
On Saturday, the 38-year-old Mamba Queen took to her Instagram Story to tell fans that she and eldest daughter Natalia decided to block several fan accounts. Vanessa explained that moving on has been particularly hard, especially when they see photos of Kobe and Gianna every time they open their Instagram accounts. “Thx so much for all the [love]. @nataliabryant and I have unfortunately had to block fan pages because it’s been really hard to go online and constantly see pics of our beloved Gigi and Kobe under every single square of our explore pages,” Vanessa wrote.
Kobe’s widow explained that blocking fan pages helped changed the Instagram algorithm and therefore aided them through the healing process. Vanessa made it clear that their family loves and appreciates the fans, but they just had to make this bold move to help with their coping mechanism. “We [love] you all but please understand that we had to do this for our own healing not because we don’t appreciate your [love]/ XO” Vanessa concluded.
Natalia’s Apology
According to E! News, Natalia also echoed her mom’s statement and took to her own private Instagram account to explain the need to block fan page accounts. “Many of you may have noticed the recent switch to a private account. My mom and I have had to, unfortunately, block fan pages because they keep reposting our pics,” Natalia wrote.
Kobe and Vanessa’s eldest daughter also asked fans to understand and support their decision, explaining that they are just doing it to make the moving-on stage easier. Natalia said that they love the sweet intentions of the fan pages, but they can no longer go public until the fan pages stop reposting their photos.
Kobe And Gigi’s Tragic Accident
The Los Angeles Lakers legend and her basketball-enthusiast daughter died on a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. The father-and-daughter tandem and seven other passengers were en route to a basketball tournament at the NBA star’s very own Mamba Academy. The tragic crash took the lives of baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife, Keri, and daughter Alyssa; mother and daughter Sarah and Payton Chester; basketball coach Christina Mauser; and pilot Ara Zobayan.