Vanessa Bryant gifts Kobe’s big sister with new Tesla
"We love you!!!” Bryant wrote about Sharia Washington. “Tesla Tunnel, here she comes!! Vegas to Cali.”
Kobe Bryant’s older sister Sharia Washington received a sweet surprise from her sister-in-law Vanessa Bryant.
That surprise was a brand new white Tesla with a bright red bow placed on the center of the hood. 38-year-old Bryant shared the exciting moment on Instagram on Thursday.
“Surprise @shariawash! We love you!!!” Bryant shared. “Tesla Tunnel, here she comes!! Vegas to Cali.”
Washington, who was at a loss for words, broke down in tears as she approached the car.
“I’m done,” Washington said. “I can’t take it, I can’t take it.”
Bryant wiped a tear off her sister-in-law’s face as the family members shared the precious occasion. With tears still dripping down her cheeks, Washington, 45, entered the car filled with joy.
“Oh my God… I need to do the whole tutorial,” Washington said as she sat in the driver’s seat for the first time.
Bryant shared an inside look of Washington exploring her new ride in another post featuring a string of videos.
“Is that my bestie in a Tessie?” Bryant said in a video, quoting Saweetie’s and Doja Cat’s popular song “Best Friend.”
Washington screamed in excitement as Bryant asked if she liked her new car. She took to her own Instagram page to share her new Tesla. There is also a classic Ford Mustang post here if you’re planning to buy a new one!
“OMG! So this happened today! Thank you so much V! I’m still speechless! This is absolutely amazing,” she wrote. “Love you!!”
Celebrities, friends and fans shared the excitement on Bryant’s post.
“Both beautiful, inside & out!!“ one person wrote.
“I’m crying with her! @vanessabryant this pulled at all the heart strings!” another person shared.
“@kobebryant is looking down smiling at this,” another person wrote.
Family has been front and center for Bryant following the tragic passing of her late husband Kobe and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant, who lost their lives among seven others in a devastating helicopter crash in California on Jan. 26, 2020.
Bryant told PEOPLE in March that her “strong, resilient, respectful and kind” daughters Natalia, 18, Bianka, 4, and Capri, 1, have tremendously helped her in navigating her journey with grief.
As theGrio previously reported, Bryant was interviewed for the PEOPLE ‘Women Changing the World’ issue, exclusively telling the magazine, “This pain is unimaginable [but] you just have to get up and push forward. Lying in bed crying isn’t going to change the fact that my family will never be the same again. But getting out of bed and pushing forward is going to make the day better for my girls and for me. So that’s what I do.”
Bryant has been working tirelessly to continue the work Kobe left behind, helping cement his legacy while also healing from the unimaginable loss. She reportedly took over Granity Studios (Kobe’s multimedia company) and also relaunched his charitable non-profit as the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation.
The foundation is dedicated to “creating positive impact for underserved athletes and young women in sports” and “provides funding and sports programming for underserved athletes to enable participation in school and/or league sports that enrich socio-emotional and physical development.”
Bryant also revealed to PEOPLE that Kobe and Gianna inspire her to push forward every day, saying, “I guess the best way to describe it is that Kobe and Gigi motivate me to keep going. They inspire me to try harder and be better every day. Their love is unconditional and they motivate me in so many different ways.”
theGrio’s Jared Alexander contributed to this report.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s “Dear Culture” podcast? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio.com today!
