Vanessa Bryant, wife of the late basketball icon Kobe Bryant and mother of Gianna, is preparing to release Mamba & Mambacita Forever, a photo book celebrating the murals created in memory of her husband and daughter. The book features over 100 murals from around the world, with stories and photographs captured by NBA photographer Andrew Bernstein.

The book is set to release on 19 August, just ahead of Kobe’s 47th birthday on August 23 and Mamba Day on 24 August, a date that commemorates his two jersey numbers, 8 and 24.

Published by MCD Books, which also released Kobe’s The Mamba Mentality: How I Play in 2018, the book ensures that the legacy of Kobe and Gianna will endure through art, even as the murals themselves may eventually fade.

The cover art of the book is based on a mural painted by New York street artist Andaluz in Costa Mesa, California, about a month after the 26 January 2020, helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Kobe, Gianna, and seven others. The mural depicts a serene image of Gianna resting her head on her father.

Andaluz expressed gratitude for the recognition on Instagram, writing, “Wow, my mural made the cover of the Kobe & Gigi mural book Vanessa Bryant is putting out. I’m truly appreciative to the Bryant family, @kobemural, @lakers organization, and all of my supporters. Truly blessed. Praise God because He is the hearer of prayers.”

MCD Books said on Instagram:

"In MAMBA & MAMBACITA FOREVER, Vanessa Bryant brings together the images and stories of more than a hundred murals honoring her husband and daughter. Taken together, what emerges is the story of a man who became even more than he himself could have imagined, an avatar of determination, discipline, and competitiveness. He was also a worldwide icon, one of the greatest athletes of our time, a man committed to his family and to fatherhood. Kobe was a figure of transformation and hope. When it came to the little attention women’s sports was getting at the time, Gianna wanted to break the ceiling and she was committed to being a leader in creating change for the betterment of all athletes, especially young girls and women. Kobe and Gianna have been longtime advocates for women’s sports and equality. Gianna and her dad helped spark a revolution in women’s sports, and are a driving force behind the attention the WNBA has garnered today. MAMBA & MAMBACITA FOREVER ensures that the murals of Kobe and Gianna Bryant will live on even after the most monumental murals themselves have all crumbled."