On August 8, 2025, a date etched in Lakers lore for her father’s first jersey number, 8-year-old Bianka Bryant stepped onto the mound at Dodger Stadium and owned the moment. In front of a packed house of 53,825, the youngest daughter of Kobe Bryant coolly delivered the ceremonial first pitch straight down the pipe to Dodgers’ All-Star Freddie Freeman.
Her mother, Vanessa Bryant, watched proudly from the field alongside big sister Natalia and little Capri. After Bianka’s perfect throw, Capri took the mic to rally the sold-out crowd with a simple but hype-inducing, “It’s time for Dodgers baseball!” It was a family moment wrapped in a city’s love for a legend.
The Dodgers made sure the tribute matched the significance of 8/8. The first 40,000 fans got a one-of-a-kind Kobe bobblehead rocking the gold No. 24 Lakers jersey, bat in hand, paired with Dodgers-themed Kobe 6 Protro kicks; a cross-sport nod to his everlasting impact. The night, heavy with emotion but light with celebration, marked five years since Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, tragically passed in a helicopter crash.
The energy in the stadium was electric, from Bianka’s first pitch to the final out, where the Dodgers topped the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1. And just like her father always did, Bianka showed that even under the brightest lights, the Bryant family knows how to rise to the occasion.