Vanessa Bryant shared photo of first day she met husband Kobe before tragedy

**Vanessa and Kobe Bryant [Photo: Courtesy]**

Vanessa Bryant celebrated the 20th anniversary of meeting NBA star Kobe by posting a sweet photo of their first day, just weeks before his tragic death.

The 37-year-old wife of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, marked their relationship milestone with a photo that has come all the more poignant since the fatal helicopter crash.

The throwback photo shows the pair posing next to each other, with Vanessa captioning the pic: "The day we met 20 years ago."

She went on to reveal that this was the first pic that the pair had taken, as their fledging romance started to blossom.

Kobe also shared the same photo on his Instagram page, when they celebrated their anniversary, writing with it: "On this day 20 years ago I met my best friend, my Queen @vanessabryant.”

The NBA icon also shared a photo of him embracing Vanessa in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.

**Kobe and Vanessa Bryant's first pic (Left) and the couple at Disneyland [Photo: KOBE BRYANT/INSTAGRAM]**

Kobe added: "I love you my mamacita per sempre."

Vanessa and Kobe married in April 2001 when he was 22 and she was just 18.

Kobe lost his life last Sunday when the helicopter he was riding in crashed in Calabasas, California amid foggy conditions.

Kobe died alongside 13-year-old daughter Gianna, along with pilot Ara Zobayan, Sarah and Payton Chester, Christina Mauser, John Altobelli, his wife Keri Altobelli and their daughter, Alyssa Altobelli.

Kobe Bryant believed his daughter Gianna was "destined for greatness" and thought she would be the one to carry on his legacy.

Gianna played in an Amateur Athletic Union basketball team coached by her father, playing alongside Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester.

She had attended many games with her dad and he even enlisted the help of his old coach God Shammgod to train Gianna and her teammates in dribbling a ball last February.