Gianna 'Gigi' Bryant often attended basketball games with her dad Kobe [Image: Getty Images]

Kobe Bryant spoke of pride for his confident young daughter Gianna, who died alongside him in a tragic helicopter crash on Sunday morning.

Gigi, who was just 13 at the time of her untimely death, was a promising young basketball player who looked set to follow in her dad's footsteps.

And Kobe revealed her sassy response when sexist fans used to urge him and his wife Vanessa to have sons, after they welcomed four daughters to their family.

Kobe appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in October 2018 and was asked whether Gigi would ever want to play in the Women's National Basketball Association.

Kobe spoke proudly of Gigi's talent and sassiness [Image: USA TODAY Sports]

"She does for sure. This kid, man," Kobe laughed with clear pride on his face.

"The best thing that happens when we go out is fans come up to me and she'll be standing next to me, and they'll be like, 'man, you gotta have a boy, you and V gotta have a boy, have someone carry on your tradition, your legacy'.

"And she's like, 'Oi. I got this. Don't need no boy for that, I got this'," he chuckled.

"Like, that's right, you do. You got this."

Gigi, 13, was a talented young basketball player who looked set to follow in her dad's footsteps [Image: Instagram/officialbck]

As the audience cheered, Kobe smiled with delight in his young daughter's talent.

The 41-year-old iconic athlete had Gigi marked as the heir to his basketball throne since she was young, even taking up coaching of her team to ensure they had access to the best possible resources to succeed.

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And the daddy-daughter duo were set to play a game at the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks when their helicopter went down over the LA area of Calabasas on Sunday morning.

Proud dad Kobe with his bereaved wife Vanessa and two of their four daughters, Natalia and Bianka [Image: Broadimage/REX/Shutterstock]

It's believed the foggy weather may have played a part in the crash, which killed all eight people on board.

Jimmy has since paid tribute to the dad of four, tweeting with evident sadness: "He was great,charismatic & among the hardest-working athletes ever,but what impressed me most was how deeply-involved Kobe was with his 4 daughters.

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"Pray for them, Vanessa, his parents & his fellow passengers' families on this sad and shocking day. We will never forget you Kobe."

He added: "So far 2020, you suck."