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For Mambacita
Gianna Bryant wanted to dominate the court with the Mamba Mentality her father invented
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A tiny powerhouse came across my timeline a few years ago, playing a mean game of one-on-one with a future NBA Hall of Famer. The setup was adorable yet fierce: Gianna “Mambacita” Bryant stayed toe-to-toe with her father, Kobe Bryant, her small frame seemingly quadrupled by his. With quick footwork, she executed her layup, and a viral darling was born.
The impact of 13-year-old Gianna Bryant may have been fleeting, but it was breathtaking. As she entered her teen years, it was clear she wasn’t interested in being a thing of beauty or a socialite influencer like so many of her peers — she wanted to dominate the court with the Mamba Mentality her father invented.
This is the part where I admit that, enthusiasm aside, I’ve never been much of an athlete. In high school, I once had to stay in gym class until I made a single basket; let’s just say my PE teacher didn’t try to recruit me for the junior varsity team. Aside from completing a couple half marathons, my stat sheet is pretty bare. But I’ve been a sports fan my entire life — and seeing Gigi attached to Kobe’s hip, learning as much as she could about the sport she loved, reminds me of me and my dad.
Kobe was never my guy. It was only later, watching him play ball with his daughter on social media, that my respect blossomed into genuine admiration.
Papi didn’t play sports once I was born, but he worked at Yankee Stadium for 47 years, and like Gigi and Kobe, we knew our way around a legendary stadium. And my dad, a sports Wikipedia in his own right, could count on his daughter to share one of the greatest joys of his life over burgers and cans of Pepsi. To this day, our phone calls begin with a sports recap and practically end with a sports forecast.
Kobe Bryant was never my guy; I was a huge Michael Jordan fan as a kid, and then a die-hard LeBron James fan from the first time he put on a Cavs jersey. But growing up alongside Kobe, I couldn’t help…
