Skip to content
  • Essence GU
  • Beautycon
  • NaturallyCurly
  • Afropunk
  • Essence Studios
  • Soko Mrkt
  • Ese Funds
  • Refinery29
  • 2025 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Lifestyle
  • Entrepreneurship
  • News
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
  • Subscribe
Home • Love & Sex

Social Media Starts A #GirlDad Movement In Honor Of Kobe Bryant

After learning of how proud Kobe Bryant was to have four daughters, fathers unite all over social media in solidarity.
Social Media Starts A #GirlDad Movement In Honor Of Kobe Bryant
TAGUIG, PHILIPPINES – JANUARY 28: A giant mural of former NBA star Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, painted hours after their death, is seen at a basketball court in a slum area on January 28, 2020 in Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines. Bryant, who is hugely popular in basketball-obsessed Philippines, perished in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020 in Calabasas, California. He died together with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)
By Jasmine Grant · Updated December 6, 2020

Father-daughter bonds are vital in every way. Kobe Bryant exemplified this with the commitment he had to his family. Based on a new revelation, the late basketball superstar was especially proud of being a dad to four daughters.

In a now-viral clip, ESPN anchor Elle Duncan dedicated an emotional address to Kobe Bryant on Sportscenter. Her one and only interaction with the late sports figure happened when she was eight months pregnant with her daughter.

“I asked him advice on raising girls, as he quite famously had three at the time,” Duncan recounted. “He said, ‘just be grateful that you’ve been given that gift because girls are amazing.’ His third daughter, Bianka, was about a year-and-a-half old at the time, so I asked if he wanted 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. And I was like, ‘four girls, are you joking? What would you think? How would you feel?’ Without hesitation, he said ‘I would have five more girls if I could. I’m a girl dad.'”

Article continues after video.

As Duncan tears up, she concludes her story by revealing, “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.”

"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

Inspired by Duncan’s tear-jerking story, dads far and wide have taken to social media to express appreciation for their daughters. And just like that, #GirlDad is a movement that’s growing like with every second.

https://twitter.com/LifeAsDav/status/1222242043637960704?s=20

First son of a Nigerian (Igbo) first son. Having a boy is basically mandatory, they said. To carry the name, they said

Yeah, right…I said.#girldad pic.twitter.com/saSjrZID5q

— The Chidi (@cafulezi) January 28, 2020

#girldad The best blessing ever! pic.twitter.com/aHoUO6GsIk

— Hasan Kwame Jeffries (@ProfJeffries) January 28, 2020

Who runs the world #girldad pic.twitter.com/HfFkvvlw9e

— Marques (@CraftBeerKage) January 28, 2020

Nothing in the world beats being a #girldad! Blessed to have two beautiful princesses of my own! pic.twitter.com/Kuhw1rCH5o

— DeJuan Hoggard (@DeJuanABC11) January 28, 2020

Throughout his life, Bryant would often talk about how proud he was to be the father of all girls. In an interview with Extra, the four-time MVP winner joked that “guys keep teasing me.”

“My friends say, ‘It takes a real man to make a boy,’ ” said the athlete. “I’m like, ‘Dude, it takes a king to make a princess… get in line.’ It’s pretty cool for me ’cause its Daddy’s little princesses.”

#GirlDad Is Trending In Memory Of Kobe Bryant’s Bond With His Daughters
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 26: Los Angeles Lakers fans gather to remember NBA Star Kobe Bryant with makeshift memorials near Staples Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)

Kobe and his daughter Gianna lost their lives in a tragic helicopter accident in Calabasas, California while headed to a basketball game. Seven other victims, including the pilot, also died. Memorial sites for the victims have been popping up at the Staples Center, the Bryants’ home in Newport Beach and Kobe’s Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks.

TOPICS:  basketball black mamba celebrity Entertainment gianna bryant girl dad in my feed Kobe Bryant lakers NBA Sports