Vanessa Bryant acknowledged her first wedding anniversary without Kobe Bryant by sharing a throw-back shot of the couple as young lovebirds.
"My king, my heart, my best friend. Happy 19th wedding anniversary baby. I miss you so much. I wish you were here to hold me in your arms. Ilove you," Bryant, 37, captioned an Instagram photo posted Saturday showing the late basketball star planting a kiss on her cheek.
The couple met in 1999 on a music video shoot while Vanessa was still in high school and Kobe was 20 years old, a story Kobe shared publicly.
They were married in April 2001 in Dana Point, California.
Bryant's Instagram page is flooded with tributes to the Lakers legend, who died Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others. He was 41.
Kobe, along with their 13-year-old daughter Gianna 'Gigi' Bryant and seven other people, died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on the morning of January 26th.
Vanessa has regularly posted on her Instagram commemorate her husband's and second daughter's legacies, highlighting their accomplishments and making special note of charitable efforts being made in their honor.
Earlier in the day on Saturday, Vanessa shared another emotional post, which consisted of a 2001 MTV News clip in which Kobe, in a close-up shot, reflects on his relationship with his then-newlywed wife.
When asked what made him know Vanessa was 'the one,' the Lakers star paused and said it was 'hard to pinpoint,' and that 'love is a funny thing.
'But all I know is, she caught my heart. And I just knew that she was the one,' he added.
In the now heartbreaking clip, Kobe also calls Vanessa a 'strong' and 'strong-willed woman,' and says that he sees them in the future as being 'two cool-a** parents' who are 'full of energy.'
