Kobe Bryant‘s sister,Sharia Washington,is paying tribute to her late brother and niece with a new tattoo.
In her caption, Washington thanked the tattoo artistPeter Barriosfor the design.
Washington and her sister, Shaya Tabb,released their first public statementabout their brother and niece’s deaths on Jan. 31, five days after bothdiedin a helicopter crash that killed nine people in total. The sisters said that they were “grieving” along with Bryant’s widow,Vanessa, 37, and his daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 8 months.
“Our lives are forever changed,” the sisters added, before thanking the public for their “prayers, the numerous calls, texts, emails and cards.”
Sharia Washington (left), Kobe Bryant (center) and Shaya Tabb (right).Chris Weeks/WireImage
Washington and Tabb were alsoin attendance at the public memorialin honor of their sibling on Monday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The two were seen sitting next to their parents, Joe and Pamela Bryant, while Vanessa bravely took the stage to give aheartbreaking eulogy for her late husbandand daughter Gianna.
Duringher eulogy, Vanessa shared touching stories of her daughter, who was a budding basketball player with dreams of making it to the WNBA. While she admitted Gianna had many of her father’s attributes and was very much a “daddy’s girl,” the proud mom said she always knew how much “[Gianna] loved her mamma.”
Vanessa Bryant.FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty
Vanessa also called Bryant “the MVP of girl dads, or MVD,” and spoke about the valuable lessons he left for her and their three surviving daughters.
“God knew they couldn’t be on this earth without each other. He had to bring them home to have them together,” said Vanessa, before telling her late husband, “Babe, you take care of our Gigi. And I got Nani, B.B. and Koko. We’re still the best team. May you both rest in peace and have fun in Heaven until we meet again one day. We love you both and miss you. Forever and always, Mommy.”
Monday’s memorial and celebration of life also honored the seven other victims of the crash: John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, Christina Mauser and pilot Ara Zobayan.
source: people.com
