Tributes are pouring out for basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who both died on Sunday alongside seven others when their helicopter crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, Calif.
ESPN anchor Elle Duncan took the opportunity to share a touching anecdote of her own on Monday’s SportsCenter, recalling the moment she met Bryant backstage at an event in New York two years ago.
When she approached him to take a photo, she says he immediately commented on her “rather large 8 month pregnant belly,” and began asking her questions: “How are you? How close are you? What are you having?”
After Duncan revealed she was expecting a girl, Bryant high-fived her, exclaiming, “Girls are the best.” Duncan took the opportunity to ask the basketball legend for advice on raising girls, as he had three daughters at the time (Bryant’s fourth daughter, Capri, was born just 7 months ago).
“I would have 5 more girls if I could. I’m a girl dad.”@elleduncanESPN‘s story about how much Kobe loved his daughters is something special. pic.twitter.com/1KJx17QRjY
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 28, 2020
Bryant’s best advice? “Just be grateful that you’ve been given that gift, because girls are amazing.” Duncan followed up by asking if Bryant had plans for any more children. “He said that his wife Vanessa really wanted to try again for a boy, but was sort of jokingly concerned that it would be another girl,” she recounted.
Duncan asked how Bryant would feel about having a fourth daughter, to which he responded, “I would have five more girls if I could. I’m a girl dad.”
The ESPN anchor says Bryant continued to praise his daughters. “When it came to sports, he said that his oldest daughter was an accomplished volleyball player, and that the youngest was a toddler, so TBD.” Bryant shifted the discussion towards daughter Gianna, telling Duncan, “That middle one is a monster. She’s a beast. She’s better than I was at her age. She’s got it.”
Duncan’s emotional tribute has already been viewed millions of times and was widely reshared by celebrities like Chrissy Teigen and Hailey Bieber.
The last time I remember John crying, aside from this week, was when Luna wrapped her little finger around his at the hospital when she was born. There really is something magical about girls and their dads. Thank you, @elleduncanESPN https://t.co/P4VL5Z8dC4 pic.twitter.com/hgWWB0DHcB
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) January 28, 2020
On Tuesday, #girldad became the top trend on Twitter, with over 43,000 tweets using the hashtag. Duncan encouraged her followers who were fathers to share photos of themselves with their families, writing, “I’m so moved by the outpouring of support behind my story about Kobe. And I love that #girldad is trending.. so for all those proud fathers who still have their girls to love on can you flood my timeline with pics of you and your flock. Honestly I need it as much as anyone [right] now.”
I’m so moved by the outpouring of support behind my story about Kobe. And I love that #girldad is trending.. so for all those proud fathers who still have their girls to love on can you flood my timeline with pics of you and your flock. Honestly I need it as much as anyone rt now
— Elle Duncan (@elleduncanESPN) January 28, 2020
Duncan closed her moving SportsCenter segment by tearfully reflecting on Bryant’s love for fatherhood. “I suppose that the only small source of comfort for me is knowing that he died doing what he loved the most: being a dad. Being a girl dad.”