Vanessa Bryant Says Late Husband Kobe Bryant Would Have Been 'So Proud' as Book Becomes Best Seller
Kobe Bryant‘s legacy continues to live on.
On Wednesday, Kobe’s widow Vanessa Bryant praised her late husband, who was killed in a helicopter crash alongside their 13-year-old daughter Gianna on January 26, on Instagram after his sports fantasy novel became a New York Times Best Seller.
“5 championships 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆. 5 NYT bestsellers 📖📖📖📖📖. The Mamba strikes again. 🐍” Vanessa, 37, captioned an Instagram photo of the book.
Season One is the second book of the late NBA star’s series The Wizenard Series. Kobe collaborated on the project with author Wesley King.
Vanessa shared that Kobe “would have been so proud to see his work continuing on with The #Wizenard Series: Season One.”
“Thank you for supporting his legacy!!!!!” Vanessa added.
Vanessa previously celebrated the release of the book on March 31, writing on Instagram, “Welcome back to Dren!”
A post shared by Vanessa Bryant 🦋 (@vanessabryant) on Apr 8, 2020 at 4:20pm PDT
“We hope you are all ready to catch up with the West Bottom Badgers for another magical basketball season,” Vanessa said.
“The #Wizenard Series: Season One is OUT NOW #KobeBryant #GranityStudios #KobeInc,” Vanessa added.
RELATED: Kobe Bryant ‘Was Focused on Changing Kids’ Lives,’ Says Friend and Collaborator Wesley King
The first book, Training Camp, follows underdog basketball team West Bottom Badgers as they experience a number of magical happenings after a new coach arrives at training camp.
During an appearance on PEOPLE Now earlier this month, King revealed he and Kobe worked tirelessly on Season One and even went through six or seven drafts before perfecting it.
“This is an underdog story. This is a story about a kid who’s defined himself as being as the bottom of the bottom. He’s so used to losing so he believes he can only lose. So, this entire story is about redefining who we are and working towards our dreams. It’s a very Kobe-esque story,” King said.
In addition to his literature, Kobe is continuing to reach milestones in basketball.
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Vanessa and Kobe Bryant with their daughters Natalia and Gianna
On April 4, Vanessa and her daughter Natalia, 17, appeared on ESPN where Vanessa spoke out about how much it means to them that Kobe will be posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
“It’s an incredible accomplishment and honor and we’re extremely proud of him,” the mother of four said. “Obviously, we wish that he was here with us to celebrate, but it’s definitely the peak of his NBA career.”
“Every accomplishment that he had as an athlete was a stepping stone to be here. We’re incredibly proud of him,” she added, noting that she felt “some solace” in recent months “knowing that he was probably going to be a part of the 2020 Hall of Fame class.”
RELATED: Remembering Kobe Bryant: Inside the Life and Legacy of the Sports Icon and ‘Intensely Proud’ DadShortly after Kobe’s crash, Hall of Fame Chairman Jerry Colangelo said that the beloved Los Angeles Lakers star would be inducted.
“When people talk about the greats of all time, it’s pretty difficult to say who was No. 1, and who’s 2, and who’s 3, but there are four to five names that always get mentioned, we know that. Kobe’s right there with everybody,” Colangelo said on NBA TV. “There’s no doubt in my mind. He’s going to be honored. He’s going into the Hall of Fame.”
