Kobe Bryant's Wife Established Fund For Families Of Other Victims Of Helicopter Crash

Feb 03, 2020 by apost team

After the death of both her husband and daughter in a devastating helicopter crash, Vanessa Bryant announced her fund to support the families of the other victims whose lives were lost in the accident along with Gianna 'Gigi' and Kobe Bryant. The same crash that took the lives of retired, 41-year-old NBA player and his 13-year-old daughter also took seven other victims. 

Among those deceased were 13-year-old Payton Chester, 45-year-old Sarah Chester, 13-year-old Alyssa Altobelli, 56-year-old John Altobelli, 46-year-old Keri Altobelli 38-year-old Christina Mauser, and 50-year-old Ara Zobayan.

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Only three days after the crash on January 26th, Bryant posted her announcement of the fund on Instagram as a tribute to her recently deceased husband and daughter, but also as a thank you to "the millions of people who’ve shown support and love during this horrific time." While Bryant posted her gratitude to the millions of fans who shared their own tributes and support regarding the death of husband and daughter, she also expressed that she and her family have not forgotten the other victims of the crash and their families.

Despite the death of Kobe and Gigi being the most publicized, Vanessa wrote that her and her family "are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday" and continued with "we share in their grief intimately." Her post, as seen above, accumulated over eight million likes in less than a single day.

The New York Times stated that the group of nine was travelling to a youth basketball tournament when the helicopter crash occurred. The young girls were all participants in Kobe's Team Mamba. Mamba On Three, Vanessa Byrant's fund, references both Kobe's nickname, "Black Mamba'' as well as the middle-school girls' basketball team of the same name, which was founded through Kobe's Mamba Sports Academy. The Mamba On Three Fund "exists to honor and support loved ones of the seven other victims involved in the tragedy that occurred on January 26, 2020" and according to the fund's homepage, will donate all proceeds directly to the families of the seven other victims. After a mission statement and list of the victims, the website's visitors have the option to donate as well as share the page with others via multiple platforms.

"Mamba On Three" was the beginning of a mantra for the girls' basketball team and embodied Kobe's "Mamba Mentality" which was the defining feature of Kobe's Sports Academy launched only in 2018. The academy aimed to promote mental and physical fitness of both adult and youth athletes. Vanessa Bryant also posted photos of both Gigi's Mamba jersey and Kobe's Lakers jersey on her instagram account.

Shortly after the crash and before Vanessa's post about the donation fund, mourners gathered outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles to pay their respects with flowers, candles, and Kobe memorabilia. Despite the large amount of press and memorials given to Kobe and Gigi, Vanessa Bryant has encouraged fans to honor the "Team Mamba family" through donating to the Mamba on Three Fund as a way of continuing the father-daughter pair's legacy as well as support the families of the other victims.

The tragedy has warranted the collective mourning of millions of fans over the daughter-father duo, but even through her own mourning Vanessa Bryant has not forgotten the other victims and their families, and encourages the public to do the same.

Our deepest sympathies go out to the Bryant family and the families of the other victims. Pass this story on to spread information on how to support those affected by this tragedy.