![The retirement of the Los Angeles Lakers player, Kobe Bryant's #8 and #24 jerseys was held Monday December 18, 2017 in Los Angeles, California during half time of the game between with the Golden State Warriors. Kobe Bryant with his family (L-R) Gianna Maria-Onore, wife, Vanessa Laine Bryant, Kobe Bryant holding Bianka Bella and Natalia Diamante. 18 Dec 2017 Pictured: The retirement of the Los Angeles Lakers player, Kobe Bryant's #8 and #24 jerseys was held Monday December 18, 2017 in Los Angeles, California during half time of the game between with the Golden State Warriors. Kobe Bryant with his family (L-R) Gianna Maria-Onore, wife, Vanessa Laine Bryant, Kobe Bryant holding Bianka Bella and Natalia Diamante. Photo credit: ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA135063_001.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]](https://preprod.hollywoodlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/kobe-bryant-family-photo-mega.jpg?quality=100&w=440)
Kobe Bryant famously skipped college and joined the NBA out of high school. While Natalia Bryant, the 18-year-old daughter of the late NBA legend and Vanessa Bryant, isn’t going to follow in his footsteps, Kobe would be proud of what she revealed on March 30. After showing love for top schools in New York, California, and Oregon, the newly signed model decided she would study at the prestigious University of Southern California.
Natalia posted a photo of herself on Instagram decked out in a USC shirt and hat. “See you soon @uscedu! Fight on,” she captioned the photo. Earlier in the day, Vanessa shared a precious video of Natalia right after she was accepted to USC. Natalia was so excited and kept saying “I got in.” Vanessa captioned the Instagram video, “Tears of joy. I’m SO happy for you Nani! I know daddy is so PROUD OF YOU. I am so PROUD OF YOU!! Your hard work and dedication was so worth it. You pushed through the most excruciating pain imaginable and you succeeded. I wish Daddy and Gigi were physically here to celebrate but I know they’re here in spirit. We love you so much!”
Natalia’s mother gave her followers some insight into where Natalia wanted to enroll via her Instagram. “So cute. [purple heart emoji],” Vanessa posted on Jan. 13, sharing a picture of Natalia wearing a shirt bearing the purple logo of New York University. “NYU is one of her top schools. ( @nataliabryant chose not to apply ED [early decision] to her top 5 schools). I will do my best to keep her in Cali just like I kept her daddy here. #CaliGirlForever.” On that same day, Vanessa posted a picture of Natalia wearing a University of Southern California logo. “Cali 4 Ever,” the mother captioned the pic.
Some fans in the Pacific Northwest hoped that Natalia would become a Duck. Vanessa revealed that her daughter was accepted into the University of Oregon on Feb. 10. “Congrats @nataliabryant,” her mother wrote while sharing a snipped of her daughter’s acceptance letter, per Page Six. While Eugene isn’t in California, it’s faster to get to Oregon than to Manhattan from Los Angeles.
There was also some speculation that Natalia would take a gap year to focus on her new career as a model. The young woman signed with IMG Models on Feb. 8, according to Women’s Wear Daily. “I have always been interested in fashion since a very young age,” she told the publication. “I have a love for the industry, and ever since I can remember, I wanted to model. There is a lot to learn, but I feel this is a great opportunity for me to learn and express myself creatively.”