Natalia Bryant calls Kobe Bryant 'the best girl dad ever': 'I love talking about my dad'

Within the accompanying story written by Danyel Smith, Bryant reflected on the loss of her father, 41-year-old Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, and 13-year-old younger sister, Gianna Bryant, on Jan. 26, 2020. Gianna, Kobe and seven other people died in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California. 

They were en route to a youth basketball tournament. Gianna, affectionately known as Gigi, played for a Mamba Sports Academy team coached by Kobe.

"I love talking about my dad," Natalia told Teen Vogue. "It's bittersweet, but I enjoy talking about him more than it's sad for me."

The former volleyball standout also credited her father with stoking her passion for films, pointing out that they attended a midnight showing of Rise of Skywalker together in 2019: "He was just like the best girl dad ever. He was just letting me play my playlist and jam out to Taylor Swift the whole ride back, and talk about Star Wars too. It was so much fun."

The eldest daughter of Kobe and Vanessa Bryant — the couple, married 19 years, also shared four-year-old Bianka Bella Bryant and two-year-old Capri Kobe Bryant — then revealed how she, her mom and sisters are coping with their unimaginable loss: "You do the best that you can. [For] my little sisters [we’re] trying to keep that memory for them. And also just trying to remember to live out every day the way they would."

Watch highlights from Natalia's cover shoot below.