It's been several days since news broke of Kobe and Gigi Bryant's fatal helicopter crash on Sunday. And yet, the tweets, blogs, and video tributes keep on rolling in. But as millions continue to mourn the basketball legend and his daughter, as well as the seven other souls who were lost, one of them has noticeably stood out from the rest: a heartfelt story shared by ESPN anchor Elle Duncan, who recalled meeting the LA Lakers star at an event several years ago, where Bryant spoke of his love of being a "girl dad."
In a tear-filled segment that aired Tuesday, the news anchor said she was backstage at an ESPN event two years ago when it happened.
"I saw him and I thought, 'Oh my gosh, that's Kobe, I gotta get a picture for the 'gram,'" Duncan recalled.
In the end, she got a photo — but not until Bryant, who noticed her very pregnant belly, asked how she was doing.Ā
"How are you? How close are you? What are you having?" she recalled him asking her with genuine interest.
Duncan told him she was having a girl, which caused Bryant to high five her with excitement.
"Girls are the best," he told her, before she asked him for a little advice.
The words that would come next stuck with her. And now, knowing that the 41-year-old athlete would go on to lose his life alongside his beloved daughter Gigi, they pierce the heart even more.
"Just be grateful that you've been given that gift, because girls are amazing," Bryant told her.Ā
When discussing the possibility of having more kids — and if they too would be girls — he didn't hesitate. "I would have FIVE more girls if I could. I'm a girl dad," Bryant told her proudly.
The quick exchange was sweet -- one of those star-studded meetings a sports fan would never forget. (Even if she is an ESPN anchor.)
Given all that's changed since Sunday, Bryant's words about his fierce love for his daughters takes on a whole new meaning.
Shortly after sharing the story, Duncan's four-minute clip began going viral on Twitter, where #GirlDad continued to trend for hours. It also sparked an outpouring of responses from fellow "girl dads," who couldn't help but relate to everything Kobe had said.
Many proudly shared photos with their own little girls, along with messages of love and appreciation.
"You turn my worst days into my best days," wrote one dad, who shared two snapshots of his daughter. "I love you with everything in me shawty."
"Being a #GirlDad is one of the best adventures I've ever been on," another dad tweeted.
"I donāt normally do the social media trends (hey, Iām an actuary), but Iām unbelievably proud to be a #girldad," another added. "I hope my daughter changes the world some day, but sheās already (and immeasurably) changed mine."
"Being a #GirlDad is what gets me up every morning! Love her more than anything!" tweeted another dad.
In less than a day, the hashtag gathered thousands of tweets from fathers sharing how grateful they are to be raising fierce young women.
Some came from dads of spunky toddler girls; others came from dads who had raised their daughters into adulthood and are proud of the women they've become. Still other tweets came from excited "future" girl dads, whose partners are expecting.
Of course, there is a sadness behind each and every one of these tweets.
After all, their very presence is due to Bryant's death.
The basketball legend was reportedly on his way to his daughter's travel basketball tournament in Thousand Oaks, California, on Sunday when the helicopter he was traveling in crashed into a hillside in Calabasas because of heavy fog.Ā
Along with Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gigi, other crash victims include John Altobelli, 56, a head baseball coach at Orange Coast College, as well asĀ his wife, Keri, and their 13-year-old daughter, Alyssa, a teammate of Gigi's. Fellow teammate Payton Chester, 13, and her mother Sarah were also among the dead, as well as girls' assistant basketball coach Christina Mauser, 38, who leaves behind three children.Ā
The helicopter pilot,Ā Ara Zobayan, 50, was also killed in the crash. TheĀ New York Times reportedĀ that he may have missed clearing the hillside by only 20 to 30 feet.
Bryant had always been vocal about his love of being a father to four girls.
He and his wife Vanessa had been married for 19 years at the time of his death Sunday, and in addition to Gigi, they were the proud parents of Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, who will turn 1 in June.
Bryant admitted he's been teased over the years about having four girls and never a boy, but it wasn't something that ever concerned him.
āMy friends say, āItĀ takes a real man to make a boy,āā Bryant told Extra in 2017. āIām like, āDude, it takes a king to make a princess ā¦ get in line.ā Itās pretty cool for me ācause itās Daddyās little princesses."
Bryant's close connection with all four of his daughters was well-documented.
But his especially close connection with Gigi — made stronger by her clear passion for the game that made her dad famous — was undeniable. And now, it's all the more poignant.
"The best thing that happens is weāll go out, and fans will come up to me and sheāll be standing next to me," Kobe once told Jimmy Kimmel. "And theyāll be like, āHey, you gotta have a boy. You and Vanessa gotta have a boy to carry on the tradition, the legacy. And she is like, āOy, I got this. You donāt need a boy for that, I got this.ā Iām like, 'Thatās right, you got this.āā
