The world mourns the death of American basketball legend Kobe Bryant.
Kobe died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, this Sunday, January 26, U.S. time. He was 41.
Having won five National Basketball Association (NBA) championships, snatching two Olympic gold medals, and becoming one of NBA's all-time highest scorers, Kobe was considered the best basketball player of his generation.
But news of his shocking death later hit harder after multiple news outlets confirmed that his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, nicknamed Gigi, died with him in the crash.
Kobe and wife Vanessa have three other daughters: Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, seven months.
GIGI BRYANT: MAMBACITA
A father to four girls, Kobe was constantly asked if he and his wife Vanessa intended to have a boy 'who can carry on his basketball legacy.'
But for the former Los Angeles Laker, he didn't need to have son to make it happen.
In Kobe's eyes—and eventually to everyone—his daughter Gigi already got that legacy covered.
The NBA superstar recalled in an interview on the American late night show Jimmy Kimmel in October 2018: "The best thing that happens is when we go out and fans would come up to me and she'll be standing next to me.
"They'll be like, 'Hey, you gotta have a boy. You and V gotta have a boy, man. You gotta have somebody carry on the tradition, the legacy.'
"And she's like, 'Oy, I got this. You don't have to worry about that, I got this.'
"I'm like, 'That's right. Yes, you do. You got this.'"
Kobe tagged Gigi as "Mambacita," a name derived from his own nickname "Black Mamba."
He told Access Hollywood in 2018, "The basketball gene I've completely and fully passed on to Gianna. She's got it. That's all her now.
"She works, man. We practice two hours a day. She's fully committed. Her and her team as well. They're really, really committed.
"I love watching them play. It's fun because you can see the growth. Like, when they first started, from just dribble the ball and walk at the same time to, like, grasp really complicated concepts. Reading and reacting on her own. It's fun watching her grow."
Kobe began coaching Gigi's club team after he retired from NBA in 2016.
Gigi aspired to follow in her father's footsteps. She was "hell-bent" on playing for the University of Connecticut in the collegiate league, which was to be her stepping stone to Women's National Basketball Association.
The young Bryant was well on her way to making a name for herself, catching the attention of the basketball community in recent years.
Her spunk on court reminded fans, spectators, and coaches of the same finesse and energy as her father's.