Vanessa Bryant held back tears as she spoke on her late husband Kobe Bryant's behalf on a very special night. The mom-of-four represented the iconic basketball player as he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Vanessa, 39, gave a moving speech about Kobe's career and how he was looking forward to the Hall of Fame ceremony before his tragic death. She suffered unimaginable heartbreak on January 26, 2020, when her LA Lakers star husband and their daughter Gigi, 13, were killed in a helicopter crash. Watch Vanessa pay tribute to her late husband at the Hall of Fame ceremony: [[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/ltrbZ7sJ-dkXnENEs.mp4||ltrbZ7sJ]] Vanessa has won huge respect and support from fans as she remains strong for her daughters Bianka, Capri and Natalia and keeps Kobe's memory alive. Speaking while up on the podium, Vanessa said: "Last February, I called Michael [Jordan] and asked if he would introduce Kobe tonight and he graciously accepted. Thank you for being here, Michael. Kobe admired you, this means so much to us." She joked that she used to avoid praising her husband in public because "he got enough praise from his fans". "Someone had to bring him back to reality. Right now, I am sure he is laughing in heaven because I'm about to praise him in public for his accomplishments on one of the most public stages," she said. "I can see him now, arms folded, with a huge grin saying, isn't this some s***? He is still winning." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1393720786452627473]]  She added: "I wish my husband was here to accept this incredible award. He and Gigi deserve to be here to witness this. Gigi would be so proud to watch her daddy get enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame. I know Kobe was looking forward to being here. He asked the Hall of Fame to specifically add a sixth ticket for Capri, he was so happy." During her speech, Vanessa said that "there will never be anyone like Kobe" and called her late husband "one of a kind". "He was special. He was humble, off the court. But bigger than life," she added. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1393274764626640899]]  Vanessa said that If her husband had been able to give his speech he would have had a "long list of people to thank that helped him, that helped inspire him and equipped him to be in the hall of fame: family, friends, mentors, the Lakers, teammates, muses, and opponents". She said that Kobe had not prepared a speech for the honor before his death because "he winged every single speech". She went on: "He was intelligent, eloquent, and gifted at many things, including public speaking. However, I do know that he would thank everyone that helped him get here, including the people that doubted him and the people that worked against him and told him he couldn't attain his goals. He would thank all of them for motivating him to be here. After all, he proved you wrong." [[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9CX6LH7AG0]] Despite his many awards, Vanessa said: "His most cherished accomplishment was being the very best girl dad. "He did the work. He broke those records. And he inspired people to be great. I want to thank him for somehow finding ways to dedicate time to not only being an incredible athlete, a visionary entrepreneur and storyteller but for also being an amazing family man." Kobe and Gigi were two of nine people to be killed when their helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California. The others killed in the horror crash included 13-year-old Payton Chester, Sarah Chester, 46, 14-year-old Alyssa Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, 46, John Altobelli, 56, Christina Mauser, 38, and 50-year-old pilot Ara Zobayan. <h6>Featured image credit: dpa picture alliance / Alamy</h6>

Vanessa Bryant pays emotional tribute to late husband Kobe as he's inducted into basketball Hall of Fame

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