Vanessa Bryant Accepts Basketball Hall of Fame Honour on Behalf of Kobe Bryant: "You're Not Just An MVP, You're An All Time Great"

“Last February, I called Michael and asked if he would introduce Kobe tonight and he graciously accepted. Thank you for being here, Michael. Kobe admired you, this means so much to us.  I used to avoid praising my husband in public because I felt like he got enough praise from his fans around the world and someone had to bring him back to reality. Right now, I’m sure he’s laughing in heaven because I’m about to praise him in public for his accomplishments on one of the most public stages. I could see him know, arms folded, with a huge grin saying, ‘Isn’t this some s—?’ He’s still winning.

I wish my husband was here to accept this incredible award. He and Gigi deserve to be here to witness this. Gigi would be so proud to watch her daddy get enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame. I know Kobe was looking forward to being here. He asked the Hall of Fame to specifically add a sixth ticket for Capri, he was so happy.

There will never be anyone like Kobe. Kobe was one of a kind. He was special, he was humble off the court but bigger than life. To all of our close friends and family that have been present for my girls and I, thank you. That list is long and it takes a village but know that your kindness and love does not go unappreciated. I know that Kobe is thankful that you’re all coming through for his girls. We love you and are forever grateful for you. 

If my husband were here tonight, he would have a long list of people to thank that helped inspire him and equip him to be in the Hall of Fame. Family, friends, mentors, the Lakers, teammates, muses and opponents. This is one of the hard parts of not having him here. At the risk of leaving anyone out, I can only say thank you. To all those who helped him get here, you know who you are and I thank you on his behalf.

All of the athletes that share a Hall of Fame award share the fact that they have to sacrifice a part of their lives to dedicate more time to their craft. It takes a lot of self-drive, dedication and discipline. No one can take away from their own success. Kobe’s personal stats speak for themselves. Kobe was on a different level, he never took shortcuts when it came to basketball. He gave this game his all. Kobe played through injury and injury.  To name a few: he had IVs administered during halftimes to play through food poisoning and the flu; he played with a broken nose; he had a broken finger and had it snapped back in place just enough to finish the game; he also taught himself how to use his left hand to play the rest of the season while his finger healed; he even swished two free throws with a torn Achille’s and walked off the court on his own.

I’ll never forget the look he gave me as he walked off the court that game. I knew it was bad. The crowd was cheering and I was reassuring Natalia and Gianna that daddy would be okay just like any other injury. But as you walked into the tunnel, there was no wink and there was no kiss blown my way. I could see the concerned look on his face. That injury was big, but his comeback from that injury was bigger.

“Dear Kobe, thank you for being the best husband and father you can possibly be. Thank you for growing and learning from your own mistakes. Thank you for always trying to be better. Thank you for never giving up on us. Thank you for all of your hard work. Thank you for our family, thank you for our daughters Natalia, Gianna, Bianka and Capri. Thank you for working so tirelessly to provide for us and for giving us the most amazing life together. Thank you for waking up at 4 a.m. to train, making it home to kiss me good morning and for dropping our girls off at school — only to go to practice, come home and pick up our girls from school whenever you could. Thank you for never missing a birthday, a dance recital, a school award show, show and tell or any games our daughters played in if your schedule permitted.

Thank you for putting your love for our family first. Thank you for bringing so much joy to our lives and joy to the people around the world. Thank you for inspiring us to be better than we were the day before. Thank you for teaching me, and all of us, to put someone else’s joy before our own. Thank you for being so selfless and loving with a heart of gold. Thank you for never taking yourself too seriously. Thank you for your sense of humor, thank you for your wit. Thank you for never telling me no and always letting me have my way most of the time. Thank you for being patient and easygoing. Thank you for letting me burst your bubble every chance I got. Thank you for graciously taking all my harsh comebacks, thank you for dishing them back. Thank you for being the Mickey to my Minnie, the Noah to my Allie [from The Notebook]. Thank you for loving me enough to last lifetimes, and every lifetime I choose you.

To our girls Natalia and Gianna, thank you for sacrificing so much time away from daddy so that he could focus on being the best at everything he set his mind to do. Bianka and Capri, I’m so happy you’re here to see this tonight. Daddy was incredible, he loves you girls so very much.

Congratulations baby, all of your hard work and sacrifices have paid off. You once told me, ‘If you’re going to bet on someone, bet on yourself.’ I’m glad you bet on yourself, you overachiever.  You did it. You’re in the Hall of Fame now. You’re a true champ. You’re not just a MVP, you’re an all time great. I’m so proud of you, I love you forever and always Kobe Bean Bryant.”

RIP Kobe Bryant