Unfinished Legacy: Kobe Bryant and His Support of Women’s Basketball

Kobe Bryant’s legacy was left unfinished when a January 26, 2020, helicopter crash claimed his life, his daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, six of their friends, and the pilot (Fenno, 2020). While Kobe Bryant was known worldwide as one of the all-time greatest men’s basketball players and a five-time NBA Champion, he was also on his way to becoming the greatest male ambassador to women’s basketball the world has ever known—which prompted the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) to introduce the Kobe and Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award (“WNBA Introduces,” 2020). This article examines Kobe Bryant’s connections with women’s basketball players and women’s basketball coaches and administrators, plus his parenting of Gianna Bryant. These considerations lead to a contemplation of Kobe Bryant’s unfinished women’s basketball legacy.