WNBA Reacts to Sabrina Ionescu & Angel Reese's Postgame Moment With Kobe Bryant's Family
WNBA Reacts to Sabrina Ionescu & Angel Reese's Postgame Moment With Kobe Bryant's Family originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Chicago Sky were in the Big Apple on Tuesday night for a matchup against the defending WNBA champion and undefeated New York Liberty. Led by Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart, the Liberty cruised to an 85–66 win to improve to 9–0 on the season, while the Sky fell to 2–6.
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Ionescu tallied a game-high 23 points, while Sky forward Angel Reese led Chicago with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
After the game, both Ionescu and Reese took time to share a heartwarming moment with the Bryant family, who were seated courtside. Vanessa Bryant—wife of the late Kobe Bryant and mother of the late Gianna Bryant—attended the game with her three daughters, Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.
"Sabrina Ionescu and Angel Reese postgame with the Bryant family," the WNBA posted.
Check it out:
Fans reacted to the heartwarming interactions:
"So much respect for their connection with the Bryant family," a fan said.
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Someone else added, "Heartwarming."
Another fan posted, "Bigger than basketball."
One more fan commented, "The babies are growing up."
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrates her team's win after game three of the 2024 NBA Finals.Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna tragically and unexpectedly passed away on Jan. 26, 2020, alongside seven others while on their way to an AAU basketball game. Gianna, who shared her father's deep love for the game, was widely seen as carrying on his basketball legacy.
That passion is what helped forge a strong bond between the Bryants and Sabrina Ionescu, whose relationship with the family began during her standout collegiate career at Oregon. Since then, Ionescu and the Bryant family have remained very close.
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Vanessa and her daughters were even in attendance at the Paris Olympics last summer, cheering on Ionescu and Team USA as they went on to win gold.
Gianna would have turned 19 in 2025. In what would've likely been her freshman year of college, the team she admired most—UConn—went on to win the national championship, a bittersweet moment for those who knew how much she dreamed of playing for the Huskies.
Related: Kobe Bryant's Widow Vanessa Bryant Directly Addresses Pregnancy Rumors
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
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