Natalia Bryant is taking her talents to Major League Baseball.
The model and oldest daughter of the late Kobe Bryant will throw the ceremonial first pitch during the Los Angeles Dodgers annual “Lakers Night” on Sept. 1, the team announced in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Tuesday.
“Join us for a special @Lakers Night on 9/1 with Natalia Bryant throwing out the ceremonial first pitch! 💙💜💛” the Dodgers post read, including a photo of the 20-year-old Natalia.
Kobe’s wife, Vanessa Bryant confirmed that she will be in attendance at Dodger Stadium, where Los Angeles will play the Atlanta Braves in the second of their three-game series.
“Thank you @dodgers!!!” Vanessa wrote in a since-expired post on her Instagram Story, according to ESPN Los Angeles. “See you September 1!”
Vanessa also included a photo of the special Dodgers jersey the team will be giving away in honor of Kobe, who spent his entire 20-season NBA career with the Lakers — and won five championships.
The jerseys feature the Black Mamba snake scales and gold print and trim, which appear similar to the Black Mamba jerseys the Lakers wore during their 2020 championship run.
The front features “Dodgers” in the team’s original font, with the No. 8 underneath — a nod to Kobe’s jersey number he wore for the first 10 seasons with the Lakers.
The back says “Bryant” with the No. 24 below it, signifying the jersey number he wore during his final 10 seasons in the league.
Only fans who purchased a special event ticket package will receive an exclusive Lakers Night jersey.
The Dodgers’ Lakers Night event is sold out, according to the team website.
Kobe died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others in southern California.
He would have celebrated his 45th birthday on August 24.
Vanessa, in partnership with Nike, released the Kobe 8 Protro Halo sneakers in honor of the late basketball legend’s birthday Aug. 23.
In a separate post on Instagram, Vanessa shared a collage of photos with Kobe, and wrote: “Happy 45th birthday, baby. I love you always & forever.”
Natalia, 20, also commemorated her father’s birthday in a post on Instagram, which included a past photo of Kobe holding her as a baby while wearing a Dodgers hat.
Last week, the Lakers announced they will pay tribute to Kobe with a statue that will be unveiled on Feb. 8, 2024 at Crypto.com Arena.
Kobe and Vanessa, who tied the knot in 2001, shared four daughters: Natalia, Gianna, Bianka, 6, and Capri, 4.
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