Credit: Twitter
In honor of her late father Kobe Bryant, the daughter Natalia Bryant threw the first pitch before the Los Angeles Dodgers hosted the Atlanta Braves at the Dodgers Stadium on September 1, Friday. The 20-year-old, who is a student at the University of Southern California and a model for IMG, was accompanied by her mother Vanessa, and younger sisters, namely Bianka and Capri.
Just like her father in 2000, she was seen on camera, tossing the ball, while standing in front of the mound, which bounced once before landing safely into the gloves of Mookie Betts. The All-Star of the Los Angeles Dodgers had worn the iconic number 24 jersey of Kobe Bryant over his uniform, before getting a hug from his daughter.
Watch Natalia Bryant throw the first pitch at Dodgers Stadium here:
The entire Bryant family was wearing the jerseys of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the occasion, which was also attended by Rob Pelinka, the general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers. On the back of Vanessa’s jersey, the words “Queen Mamba” were written, which is a nod to the nickname of her husband, during his days at the NBA franchise.
When the Bryants were introduced to the fans at the Dodgers Stadium earlier, Vanessa was spotted blowing a kiss, while Natalia carried Capri before handing her off. Then, she stood alone in the field to check out the slide show of her father taking a trip to the Dodgers clubhouse.
The pre-game shout called “It’s time for Dodger baseball!” was given by Bianka while the Braves and the Dodgers players lined up at the first and third base sides, as the fans chanted “Kobe, Kobe.” Moreover, the Los Angeles Dodgers presented a cheque of $100,000 to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, which helps in providing funds and sports programming to underserved athletes as a nonprofit organization.
