Vanessa Bryant will be honored as one of the most recognizable women in sports ahead of the Super Bowl.
The news: Bryant — the widow of the late Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash just about two years ago — will be celebrating the upcoming annual event, “Sports Power Brunch: Celebrating the Most Powerful Women in Sports.”
- The celebration will happen in Beverly Hills, California, on Feb. 8.
- She will receive the “Be Your Own Champion Award” for her leadership in the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, according to The Associated Press.
The bigger picture: Vanessa Bryant has been stuck in an ongoing legal battle with Los Angeles County after deputies with the Los Angeles Police Department reportedly leaked graphic photos from the 2020 helicopter crash that killed her husband, Kobe Bryant, their daughter, Gianna Bryant, along with seven others.
One note to go: On Jan. 26, California artist Dan Medina placed a 160-pound statue on the hill above Calabasas, California, where the helicopter crash happened.
- The statue included the names of all the victims, including Christina Mauser, Sarah Chester and her daughter, Payton, John Altobelli, wife Keri and daughter Alyssa, and the pilot, Ara Zobayan.