Napheesa Collier’s $181 Gift From Vanessa Proves WNBA Star’s Bond With Kobe Bryant’s Family Runs Deep

A bond that started back when Napheesa Collier was playing for the UConn Huskies has only grown stronger over time. Even years after the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, Collier and Vanessa Bryant share a deep and lasting friendship. It’s a friendship that’s been nurtured by both personal and professional moments, and their recent gestures were just another sweet moment.

Bryant showed how much she cares for Phee with a sweet gift: a royal blue sweatshirt valued at $181 from The Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation. The WNBA star totally loved the gesture. She took to her Instagram story to thank Vanessa, writing, “Love😍 thank you,” and tagging her.

But Vanessa’s support extends beyond just gifts. She has been seen cheering Collier on at games, including the 2024 Olympics, where she sat courtside with her daughters. For Collier, it’s not just about the moments of public support but the journey they’ve shared and the memories they’ve created, starting from the initial years of her career.

So, how did this connection first form? Well, before sharing gifts and expressing love on socials, it all started when Kobe and his daughter Gianna became huge fans of UConn basketball. As Collier recalls during a recent podcast interview, “Gigi was a huge fan of UConn, and that’s where I first met them.” At the time, Kobe would bring Gigi to the NCAAW games, where Collier was playing for the Huskies.

Then, one summer, when the 4x All-Star was in Los Angeles, she texted Kobe to let him know she was in town and offered to work out with Gigi. The workout turned into something much bigger when Kobe saw Collier’s training. Impressed, the LA Lakers legend, gave Alex Bazzell, Phee’s husband, a call to train his girls.

Eventually, Bazzell began training Gigi and her teammates three times a week. He was even able to run camps for the NBA Legend’s Mamba Academy, which was set up to empower young athletes, especially underserved ones.  This truly affected Bazzell, who credits Kobe with shaping how he views the importance of women’s sports in his life.

“So learning from Kobe, women’s basketball is a huge part of my life every day,” Alex Bazzell said after having worked alongside the 5x NBA champion. It’s no news Kobe was a loud advocate of women’s sports, publically supporting Phee and Sabrina Ionescu among others, while breaking down their games. It was also evident as he so often took Gigi to NCAAW games and named Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, and Elena Della Donne as some people who could make a jump in NBA.

Considering Kobe his mentor, someone under whose wings he grew up, Bazzell is taking much of he what he learned from Kobe alongside his wife and channeling it into Unrivaled.

This new 3-on-3 league, co-founded by Collier and Breanna Stewart, is set to revolutionize women’s basketball . Napheesa Collier’s husband, who is the president of Unrivaled, is deeply invested in creating a space that supports and develops players, not just on the court but off it as well.

He’s made it a priority to build an environment that provides players with the best facilities and resources, saying, “We built extensions to the venue for added space for locker rooms, for cold tubs, and everything genuinely for the athletes to have great experiences.” The league has been generating major buzz with its promises of significant salaries.

With a total salary pool of over $8 million, Unrivaled will pay players an average of $242,000, which is nearly double the average WNBA salary. For Bazzell, the eventual goal is simple. It aims to make the league an experience that players want to come back to year after year. For Collier, it’s about changing women’s basketball, an aim Kobe undeniably shared.

“it’s about changing what women’s sports can look like,” she had said when introducing the league.

By bringing in top-tier talent, offering high salaries, and ensuring the players have everything they need, he’s honoring the legacy of Kobe Bryant’s love for women’s sports. As Unrivaled tips off on January 17, 2025, there’s no doubt that the league will remain the talk of the town.