has remembered late husband on what would have been his 44th birthday.
, after a fatal helicopter crash in California.
His 13-year-old daughter Gianna – who he shares with his widow – was .
Taking to Instagram, the 40-year-old paid tribute to the late athlete on a poignant day, posting a photo as she hugged her partner during what appeared to be a celebratory evening out.
‘Happy birthday, baby! I love you and miss you so much! #44 @kobebryant,’ she wrote alongside the sweet throwback.
Famous friends and fans were on hand to support the mom-of-four in the comments below.
Khloe Kardashian penned: ‘Happy birthday. I love you V!!!,’ beside a string of heart emoji.
The official LA Lakers page replied: ‘Happy birthday KB’ with purple and yellow heart emoji in the team colors.
‘Happy birthday Kobe, you are so missed,’ another posted.
An Instagram page posted: ‘Happy birthday to the one and only. Sending tons of love!!!!!!’
‘Love you V. Happy birthday to your love,’ a fan added.
Kobe and Gianna were passengers on a helicopter on route to a basketball tournament when it crashed in Calabasas, California, in January, 2020.
The pair tragically died in the smash, along with seven others.
Vanessa was later forced to file a federal invasion of privacy lawsuit against the LA County Sheriff’s Department after a deputy and firefighter, who responded to the scene, allegedly L***ed photos from the crash site.
According to the lawsuit, the deputy was accused of showing photos of the athlete to people at a bar two days after he died, while the firefighter is said to have shown them to off-duty colleagues.
She took to the stand last week and as she recalled learning about the gruesome photos being shared.
‘I felt like I wanted to run down the block and scream,’ she reportedly told the court through sobs. ‘I can’t escape my body. I can’t escape what I feel.
‘I live in fear every day of seeing on social media and having these images pop up.
‘I don’t ever want to see these photographs. I want to remember them as they were.’
Vanessa said that she expected officials to ‘have more compassion, respect’ for her family and the other victims, adding: ‘My husband and daughter deserved dignity.’
