It was almost a close call for Natalia Bryant, whose senior prom was right after dad Kobe Bryant‘s Hall of Fame ceremony. Natalia managed to make an appearance at both important events just in the nick of time. A few days after the big dance, Natalia took to Instagram to share a photo of her stunning prom night look. She wore an off-the-shoulder pink dress, along with white, open-toed heels. Her hair was parted down the middle and styled in curls, and she had a big smile on her face as she posed for a photo.
Before the event, Natalia was by her mom, Vanessa Bryant’s, side to accept Kobe Bryant’s Hall of Fame jacket at a ceremony in Massachusetts. Although Natalia had to leave before the actual Hall of Fame induction to make it to the dance on May 15, she was there for the May 14 dinner and ceremony beforehand. Natalia took the stage with Vanessa to receive Kobe’s jacket, and Vanessa explained the whole stoyr on Instagram.
“Natalia almost missed her senior prom last night. When I was a senior in high school, Kobe and I were engaged and he had a playoff game the night of my prom. Kobe didn’t want me going to prom without him and I didn’t want to go without him,” Vanessa wrote. “When we heard Natalia’s prom night and Kobe’s Hall of Fame night were on the same night, I looked at Natalia and said, ‘well if it’s any consolation, daddy kept me from going to my prom, so it’s only right that he tried to keep you from going to yours.’
“Of course we laughed because even in heaven, he’s still trying to make moves and keep the boys away,” she joked. “Natalia’s experienced so much loss, I couldn’t let her miss out on her once in a lifetime opportunity to go to her senior prom. Thank you for flying out to accept daddy’s Hall of Fame jacket and fly home the next morning.” Vanessa included an adorable photo of Natalia smiling wide as her mom kissed her on the cheek.
Meanwhile, now that prom is over, Natalia is nearly a high school graduate! Next fall, she’ll be staying close to home when she attends the University of Southern California, which means she’ll still get to spend plenty of time with her mom and little sisters, Bianka Bryant, 4, and Capri Bryant, 1.