Kobe Bryant Protest: Vanessa Bryant Shares Kobe's POWERFUL Photo Amid Civil Unrest
With the increasing protests against the brutal killing of George Floyd in Minnesota and across the United States, Kobe Bryant's widow took part in sending a powerful message of love, peace and unity.
The NBA legend may no longer be around nowadays, but his wife Vanessa Bryant made sure that he would still take part in the protest against racism -- just like how he did a few years back.
On Saturday, the 38-year-old widow took to Instagram to post a photo of the late Lakers superstar sending a powerful message against racism.
In the throwback photo, Kobe could be seen wearing a black shirt printed with the words "I Can't Breathe" on top of a white sweatshirt and yellow Lakers uniform.
"My husband wore this shirt years ago, and yet here we are again #ICANTBREATHE," Vanessa wrote, adding a broken heart emoji.
Kobe wore the said shirt back in 2014 as a part of the protest to the death of Eric Garner, a black man who died at the hands of New York police who strangled his arms around Garner's neck. During the same brutal incident, Garner also uttered the words "I Can't Breathe."
The mother-of-four also encouraged the public to spread love instead of hate.
"Life is so fragile. Life is so unpredictable. Life is too short. Let's share and embrace the beautiful qualities and similarities we all share as people," Vanessa continued.
"Drive out hate. Teach respect and love for all at home and school. Spread LOVE."
Vanessa also took the opportunity to urge people to make a change by voting in the upcoming elections.
"Fight for change- register to VOTE. Do not use innocent lives lost as an excuse to loot. BE AN EXAMPLE OF THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE. #BLACKLIVESMATTER," she added.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Vanessa Bryant (@vanessabryant) on May 30, 2020 at 10:19pm PDT
Kobe's Protest
In an interview back in 2014, the 18-time All-Star player explained why he decided to wear the statement shirt.
"I think it's us supporting that movement, and supporting each other, as well as athletes," Kobe said at the time.
"I think if we ever lose the courage to be able to speak up for things that we believe in, I think we really lose the value that our country stands for," he continued, adding that it is important to voice out an opinion and stand up for what they believe in.
George Floyd's Brutal Death
George Floyd died at the brutal hands of Minnesota police, who pinned him down on the ground after his arrest.
The group of police officers responded to a call of forgery. Several CCTV footage showed that the 46-year-old Minnesota resident did not resist his arrest, but a white police office still pinned him on the ground and pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck.
In the video, Floyd could be heard begging to free him as he could not breathe, but the officer remained on his position. Onlookers urged the officer to stop kneeling on Floyd's neck, but he continued to do so, and eight minutes later, Floyd was left unconscious.
The police identified as Derek Chauvin was charged with murder, while the rest of the group was sacked from their position.
