On August 8, 2025, a date etched in Lakers lore for her father’s first jersey quantity, 8-year-old Bianka Bryant stepped onto the mound at Dodger Stadium and owned the second. In entrance of a packed home of 53,825, the youngest daughter of Kobe Bryant coolly delivered the ceremonial first pitch straight down the pipe to Dodgers’ All-Star Freddie Freeman.
Her mom, Vanessa Bryant, watched proudly from the sector alongside massive sister Natalia and little Capri. After Bianka’s excellent throw, Capri took the mic to rally the sold-out crowd with a easy however hype-inducing, “It’s time for Dodgers baseball!” It was a household second wrapped in a metropolis’s love for a legend.
The Dodgers made certain the tribute matched the importance of 8/8. The primary 40,000 followers obtained a one-of-a-kind Kobe bobblehead rocking the gold No. 24 Lakers jersey, bat in hand, paired with Dodgers-themed Kobe 6 Protro kicks; a cross-sport nod to his eternal influence. The night time, heavy with emotion however gentle with celebration, marked 5 years since Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, tragically handed in a helicopter crash.
The vitality within the stadium was electrical, from Bianka’s first pitch to the ultimate out, the place the Dodgers topped the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1. And similar to her father all the time did, Bianka confirmed that even beneath the brightest lights, the Bryant household is aware of rise to the event.
