After winning $16 million in court in a lawsuit against the Sheriff’s deputies who passed around photos of the helicopter crash site that killed Kobe and Gianna Bryant, Vanessa Bryant has decided to donate her winnings to charity.
Her earnings will go to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, a nonprofit organization that was created in 2016 and designed to be “dedicated to creating positive impact for underserved athletes and boys & girls in sports,” as its website states.
The organization was originally named after Kobe’s nickname, the Black Mamba, and was renamed in 2020 after the tragic passing of Kobe and Gianna as a way to honor their legacy.
We reported that hours after the deadly crash, the Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies took photos of the scene without permission, and shared them through text messages and at other gatherings.
The news broke that Vanessa and the family members of the other victims won $31 million that they will split. The court has ordered Los Angeles County to pay Chris Chester, who lost his wife and daughter in the helicopter crash.
The verdict came out on August 24th, the same day that is declared Mamba Day. The date also symbolizes the numbers that Kobe wore on his jerseys, 8 and 24.