Kobe Bryant‘s daughter Natalia has been accepted into The University of Oregon.
The 18-year-old model’s mother Vanessa shared the exciting news via Instagram on Wednesday, posting a snippet of her acceptance letter from the institution.
While it is not clear what Natalia is set to study at the university, Vanessa shared her congratulations with her eldest daughter for being accepted into the class of 2025.
Success: Kobe Bryant’s daughter Natalia was accepted into the University of Oregon on Wednesday, and her mother Vanessa gushed over the achievement on Instagram
Natalia’s letter of acceptance partially read: ‘Congratulations! It is a pleasure to offer you admission to the University of Oregon class of 2025.
‘Your hard work and achievements have paid off, and I know you will make invaluable contributions to our campus community.’
Being accepted into university isn’t the only thing Vanessa achieved recently, as she announced on Monday that she had signed with international modelling agency IMG Models Worldwide.
Doting: While it is not clear what Natalia will study at the university, Vanessa (pictured with late husband Kobe and Natalia when she was little) shared her congratulations with her daughter
Congratulations! Vanessa a snippet of Natalia’s acceptance letter from the institution
The Instagram account for the agency posted a stunning black-and-white image of the daughter of late basketball legend Kobe, along with a quote from her about the new venture.
Natalia’s quote read: ‘I have always been interested in fashion since a very young age. I have a love for the industry and ever since I can remember I wanted to model.
‘There is a lot to learn but I feel this is a great opportunity for me to learn and express myself creatively.’
Natalia also posted the announcement to her Instagram stories, over which she exclaimed, ‘I am beyond thrilled and so honored to be a part of the IMG family!’
Great news: Being accepted into university isn’t the only thing Vanessa achieved recently, as she announced on Monday that she had signed with IMG Models Worldwide
Exciting: The Instagram account for the agency posted a stunning black-and-white image of the daughter of late basketball legend Kobe, along with a quote from her
The news came just weeks after Natalia turned 18, on January 19th.
To mark her daughter’s special day, Vanessa shared touching throwback images of ‘daddy’s little princess’ with Kobe.
Taking to Instagram, the 38-year-old posted two different pictures of herself with late husband Kobe and Natalia as a young child.
The throwback photos saw Vanessa and Kobe sweetly pose with Natalia at the Lakers Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, in the early 2000s.
Proud of her daughter: Natalia’s mother Vanessa also proudly shared the news on her own Instagram
She captioned it with: ‘We love you so much! Happy birthday Natalia!!!! Our first born @nataliabryant.’
Natalia’s birthday fell one week to the day before the one-year anniversary of the horrific helicopter crash that claimed the lives of her father Kobe, 41, and sister Gianna, 13, on January 26th.
On that day, pilot Ara Zobayan, 50, took the NBA legend, his daughter Gianna, two of Gianna’s teammates, their coach and some of the girls’ parents up in a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter.
The others on board were Gianna’s teammates Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester, Alyssa’s parents, John and Keri Altobelli, Payton’s mother Sarah Chester and their coach Christina Mauser.
Sweet: On Natalia’s 18th birthday in January, Vanessa shared pictures of her late husband Kobe with Natalia as a young child
They were planning to fly from Orange County to the Mamba Sports Academy – the school Bryant founded – to watch the girls in a tournament but at 9.45am, forty minutes after take-off, the helicopter plowed into a hillside in Calabasas, killing everyone on board, at 140 knots – 160mph.
On Tuesday, officials said there was no proof that they put pressure on Zobayan to fly in the dangerous conditions, nor was there proof that Kobe asked him to.
Instead, they said the crash occurred when the pilot lost control of the aircraft after becoming disoriented in the fog and that he was likely influenced by a ‘self-induced pressure’ to satisfy his famous client.
Remembering loved ones: Natalia’s birthday fell one week before the one-year anniversary of the horrific helicopter crash that claimed the lives of her father Kobe and sister Gianna