Tag: Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award

Ann Meyers Drysdale wins prestigious WNBA Advocacy Award

Hall of Famer Ann Meyers is the first woman to receive the Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award.

The 2024 Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award was bestowed upon Naismith Memorial and Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer Ann Meyers Drysdale. In 2020, the WNBA created the Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award, which recognizes “an individual or group who has made significant contributions to the visibility, perception, and advancement of women’s and girls’ basketball at all levels.”

“Annie has been a force inspiring young girls on and off the court, something she, Gianna and Kobe shared and cared about deeply,” said Vanessa Bryant, Chair of the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation. “I’m happy Annie is receiving this award in Kobe and Gianna’s memory – she is so deserving.”

Meyers Drysdale has been changing the game since high school. She was the first high school basketball player to make a U.S. national team, the first female athlete to receive a full athletic scholarship to UCLA (where she competed in basketball, volleyball and track & field) and the first college basketball player to be named to the All-America Team in four consecutive seasons. She was also the first woman to sign an NBA contract when she joined the Indiana Pacers in 1979.

“Having been around the WNBA since its inception, I am truly humbled to accept the 2024 Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award and to be viewed as an advocate for girls and women in sports,” said Meyers Drysdale. “I first met Kobe when his dad was coaching the Los Angeles Sparks, and I was on the Sparks’ broadcast team. I knew then how much passion Kobe had for the game of basketball and how that devotion ran in the family.

“It was a full-circle moment for me when Kobe led his daughters to the sport, and we all saw the support he gave to girls and women in the game. As someone who has also lost a husband while raising young children, I hope to honor Vanessa’s strength and bring further awareness to the ways that she continues to recognize her husband and daughter’s legacy.”

She is the first woman to receive the Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award. Chris Paul won in 2022, and Pau Gasol won in 2023.

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Aces’ Candace Parker: Kobe Bryant uplifted the WNBA

Three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker reflects on the impact of Kobe Bryant on the WNBA ahead of his statue unveiling.

Few basketball players in the world had a greater impact on the game of basketball than Kobe Bryant. Not only did he impact the men’s side of the game, but his impact on the women’s side was indelible.

Bryant was an advocate for the WNBA and an ally to the players. Three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker commended Bryant this week for his impact ahead of his statue unveiling on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

“We in the WNBA feel like Kobe was the person that uplifted our league,” Parker said on TNT. “I think just in terms of him having his daughters and really teaching the game. I think that’s the biggest thing I learned from him. It’s like always continue — no matter how many championships you have, how many games you win — to want to learn and get better and study the game. I think that’s the biggest thing that I learned from Kobe watching, but also being in L.A. and seeing him win championships at the end of his career.”

In 2020, the WNBA created the Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award, which recognizes “an individual or group who has made significant contributions to the visibility, perception, and advancement of women’s and girls’ basketball at all levels.”

When the award was first announced, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert had this to say about Bryant.

Kobe was an incredible champion of women’s basketball and Gianna shared his passion and dedication to our game. The Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award will honor their legacy and reflect Kobe’s commitment to mentoring the next generation of players, promoting the game and giving back to the community.

The inaugural winner of the award was Chris Paul in 2021 and the 2022 winner was NBA legend Pau Gasol. The award winner is selected together by the WNBA and the Bryant family and announced each year at NBA All-Star Weekend.

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