Vanessa Bryant showed off her hometown pride in the latest Super Bowl commercial. During the spot, that premiered Sunday, ahead of the big game, the Los Angeles native, celebrated the city that her late husband, Kobe Bryant, called home and played for the Los Angeles Lakers for 20 years, until his retirement in 2016. In the commercial, Vanessa parks next to a mural of Kobe and their daughter, Gianna Bryant, who died in 2020,
as clips roll from Kobe’s historic time on the Lakers and Oscars win. In addition, footage of the Los Angeles Dodgers 2020 World Series win runs as the mother-of-four talks about the city she loves. This is Los Angeles,” she says. “The city of angels. Where iconic teams, where iconic moments and where icons have etched their place in the storybook of history. Where nothing is impossible without a lot of hard work and a little imagination.”
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Vanessa continues, “This is Los Angeles.” In the full version of the commercial, Snoop Dogg, George Lopez, Drew Barrymore, Dany Trejo, Tyra Banks, Lauren London, Montell Jordan, Shaquille O’Neil, Ice Cube, Jhené Aiko, and Big Boy all pay homage to the city of Angels as a band plays Dr. Dre and Tupac’ hit, “California. This is LA, celebrates the city that is hosting Super
Bowl LVI where the Los Angeles Rams will face off against the Cincinnati Bengals. Vanessa gave her followers a sneak peek of the spot last week. On Wednesday, the wife of the late Kobe Bryant, shared a series of pictures posing in a car, parked in front of a mural dedicated to Kobe and Gianna. A special collaboration with @NFL for #SBLVI to show off the city of angels 🕊 🕊
#ThisIsLA debuts Super Bowl Sunday on @NFLGameDay Morning at 9am ET on @NFLNetwork #CaliGirl #QueenMamba #Mambacita #MambaForever 👑🐍❤️❤️👑,” the 39-year-old captioned a close-up shot of her face as she poses inside a vintage car. In a follow-up post, Vanessa got emotional as she shared a wide shot featuring the mural behind her. “I couldn’t look at the mural next to me until we wrapped. 💔💔,” she wrote.
This city is special to me for so many reasons. It’s an honor to be a part of #ThisIsLA 💜💛 🌴. In the mural, Kobe — who wears his Lakers jersey — kisses a young Gianna on the cheek. In honor of the Lakers colors, Gianna has a purple bow in her hair, and a yellow flower is painted by the father-daughter duo. Vanessa, who is also mother to Natalia, 19, Bianka, 5 and 2-year-old Capri,
Who she shares with her late husband, has been keeping Kobe and Gianna’s memory alive. The 39-year-old vowed to keep their mission going while accepting the Be Your Own Champion Award at the Sports Power Brunch. In everything I do — whether it’s through the work of our foundation or the storytelling at Granity — I want to provide young girls with opportunities to showcase their talents and to dominate in their fields,”
She said. “It was important to Kobe, it was exemplified by Gigi and it is something for which Natalia, Bianka, Capri and I will always fight for.”
