Natalia Bryant was just 17 years old when her father, Kobe Bryant, and an older sister, Gigi Bryant, were killed in a helicopter crash. The eldest daughter of the late legendary basketball player won the admiration of many for her grace and strength during that difficult time. Since that incident, she has slowly become mom Vanessa Bryant's "right-hand woman." The USC student also became a celebrity.

On the last Halloween before Bryant's death, he took to Twitter/X to share a photo of his family dressed as the main characters of "The Wizard of Oz." The model recreated the moment with the same photo on her Instagram story. Her late father captioned the timeless moment simply:

"Happy Halloween.

In the photo, Kobe Bryant plays the "Wizard" while Natalia Bryant dresses up as the "Scarecrow." Vanessa Bryant, who played the "Witch of the West," may have stolen the show. She picked up young Capri, who is said to be the "Cowardly Lion." Gigi Bryant played "Tin Man" next to her father. Bianca Bryant played "Dorothy."

Little did the family know that this would be their last Halloween. A few months later, tragedy struck, rocking not only the Bryan family, but the entire sports world.

In March 2023, at the unveiling of Kobe Bryant's handprint at the TCL Chinese Theater, she had this to say about her father:

"Dad, you are an icon, a legend, a storyteller, and most importantly, a great dad that all young women dream of. I am honored to be here to represent you and our family and we are so proud of you. We will love you forever. Love to your Natalia, Gianna, Bianca, Capri and mom.

The Los Angeles Lakers icon and Gigi Bryant may be gone, but for Natalia Bryant and her family, they are still as fresh as ever.

Natalia Bryant embodies Kobe Bryant's toughness and perseverance

For a 17-year-old, what she went through in 2020 showed Natalia Bryant the "Mamba Spirit." Kobe Bryant would be proud of the way she handled adversity and stress.

The eldest of the Bryant family children is now a sophomore at the University of Southern California and is becoming a model. She said in a 2021 interview that she wears a necklace that always reminds her of her father and one of her sisters.

Here's what she said about this special gift from her father:

"The necklace says 'Giving makes dreams come true.' That's a quote from my father. That's my motto.