Vanessa Bryant Shared Photo of Kobe, Gianna and Mamba Teammate Alyssa Altobelli Weeks Before Deaths
by Brian JonesVanessa Bryant recently unlocked her Instagram account, which has led to fans looking back at the photos she shared of husband, Kobe Bryant and their daughter Gianna. On Sunday, Kobe and Gianna were two of the nine people who died in a helicopter crash. Another victim in the crash was Alyssa Altobelli and Vanessa shared a photo of Kobe, Gianna and Alyssa together on the basketball court just weeks before the crash. With all three seen sitting on the bench talking, Bryant captioned the photo: "Gigi looking like me~in church (or anywhere) while [Kobe] looking like Alyssa #5 trying to figure out what I'm laughing at."
Along with Alyssa, her parents, John and Keri Altobelli, were also victims in the crash. John Altobelli was the head coach for the Orange Coast College Baseball team and the school released a statement after it was made official.
"He truly personified what it means to be a baseball coach," the school's athletic director, Jason Kehler, said in a statement on Sunday via ABC News. "The passion that he put into the game, but more importantly his athletes, was second to none - he treated them like family."
"Our deepest condolences go out to the Altobelli family during this time of tragedy," Kehler added.
"We have lost a member of our OCC family, and our hearts are broken," the college president, Angelica Suarez, added in a statement. "Coach Altobelli was a giant on our campus - a beloved teacher, coach, colleague and friend. This is a tremendous loss for our campus community."
Shortly after Vanessa unlocked her Instagram account, she broke her silence about the crash.
"We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives," she said in an Instagram post. "I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon. "I'm not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it's impossible to imagine life without them. But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless ā and that's to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever."