The charity will help to continue the legacies of Kobe and Gianna Bryant to offer opportunities to underprivileged athletes.
Vanessa Bryant has been awarded $16 million by the jury over the lawsuit she filed against the L.A county for leaking the pictures of Kobe and Gianna Bryant's helicopter accident. She decided to donate an amount to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation as a token of honor to her late husband and daughter. said, PEOPLE
Mamba & Mamabacita Sports Foundation is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to creating a positive impact on underserved athletes and boys & girls in sports. The organization was named after Kobe Bryant's nickname, Black Mamba. In 2020, the organization was renamed after 13-year-old Gianna Bryant lost her life in a helicopter crash alongside her father, Kobe, reports LA Times.
The foundation provides funding and sports programming for underprivileged athletes to enable participation in school and league sports that enrich socio-emotional and physical development.
The organization not only raises funds through donations but also through manufacturing its own merchandise including T-shirts, jackets, and sweatshirts all of the funds gathered from the sale of these accessories also get used for the cause. Recently, Vanessa introduced a jewelry line along with Zoe Chicco which is called 'Mambacita x ZC' which is an exclusive capsule collection that includes 14k fine jewelry celebrating Kobe and Gianna Bryant.
Luis Li, Vanessa's attorney in the lawsuit did not disclose the amount of funds Vanessa plans to donate to the organization. But in the statement, Li gave to PEOPLE he said, "From the beginning, Vanessa Bryant has sought only accountability, but our legal system does not permit her to force better policies, more training or officer discipline."
"Those measures are the responsibility of the sheriff's and fire departments — responsibilities that Mrs. Bryant's efforts have exposed as woefully deficient, even giving amnesty to the wrongdoers," he added.
Her stance was supported by Ralph Mendez and Luella Weireter said Li. Weireter said that firefighters were sharing the images at an awards dinner in Universal City, whereas Mendez reported that a deputy in Norwalk was showing crash scene photos to a bartender
"They brought to light the decades-old practice of taking and sharing photos of accident and crime victims for no legitimate purpose."
"It is Mrs. Bryant's hope that this important civil rights case will put to a stop this abhorrent and callous behavior," he added.
The trial ended after 11 weeks, wherein Chris Chester was her co-plaintiff as he lost his wife Sarah and his 13-year-old daughter Payton in the crash. The jury awarded him $15 million along with Vanessa.
Vanessa expressed her win through her Instagram, by posting a picture of Kobie and Gianna. The caption read, "All for you! I love you! JUSTICE for Kobe and Gigi! #Betonyourself #MambaDay 8*24*22 💜💛💜💛 #MambaMentality"
The coincidence of the decision coming down on Kobe Bryant Day also known as Mamba Day is observed as a day that honors the late Los Angeles Lakers legend whose jersey numbers were 8 and 24.
Vanessa's motive behind winning the case is, that no other family should be subjected to this kind of exploitation of privacy. It not only puts the private life of a family on the line but also affects the emotional and mental health of the family after suffering the loss of their family or loved ones.
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Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Kevork Djansezian
