Kobe Bryant‘s wife, Vanessa Bryant, posted a video of a recent trip to New York City, during which Vanessa and her daughters visited WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu. Kobe’s former mentee spent time playing basketball with Bryant’s 7-year-old daughter, Bianka, and left in awe of her uncanny resemblance to the Mamba.

Bianka Bryant impresses Ionescu with Kobe-like jumper

Bianka’s form on every shot stayed true. Her elevation and wrist flick follow through were beyond her years, reminiscent of Kobe’s iconic shooting form.

At just 7 years old, Bianka struggled to get the ball up to the full size rim in the video, but eventually got a shot to swish home while the New York Liberty guard rebounded for her.

“Shooting definitely runs in the family,” Ionesco commented proudly on Vanessa’s Instagram post.

Kobe Bryant and Sabrina Ionescu’s relationship

Ionescu is carrying on the mentor tradition that the Mamba started with her. She became connected with the Bryant family while playing college basketball at Oregon. Kobe and his daughter Gigi, now 13, surprised her at a game when the Ducks played USC in Los Angeles.

“They sat courtside, where my jaw sat dropped,” Ionescu recalled to the LA Times after his untimely death in a helicopter crash in 2020. “They watched the entire game. And that was the first time I met Kobe.”

She went on to help coach Gigi’s team as Kobe mentored her on and off the court. Now the relationship is coming full circle as she passes on that legacy to the next Bryant prodigy.