Vanessa Bryant has become a familiar sight at Dodger Stadium, carrying the same pride Kobe once showed courtside at Staples. The Lakers legend always showed up in Dodger blue, cheering just as hard from the seats as he did on the floor. Since his passing, Vanessa has ensured the connection didn’t fade. She’s brought her daughters back to Chavez Ravine for the moments that matter. On July 2, 2025, they were there when Clayton Kershaw hit his 3,000th strikeout, their cheers rolling into the crowd noise of a ballpark that has always felt like part of the Bryant family’s story.

Then came September. When Kershaw revealed he would retire after 18 seasons, everyone in Los Angeles knew it marked more than just the end of a career; it was the end of an era. The next night, he took the ball one last time at Chavez Ravine. The ovations wouldn’t stop. And there, once again, was Vanessa with her daughters, quietly present in the middle of it all. For the Bryants, showing up wasn’t just about baseball. It was about making sure Kobe’s presence is still felt when Los Angeles says goodbye to one of its greats.

Vanessa Bryant was among the first to bid farewell to the Dodgers legend. On September 20, she shared a reel of photos featuring her two youngest daughters -Bianka Bella, 8, and Capri Kobe, 6, both dressed in Dodger blue and grinning under the lights at Chavez Ravine. In another post, there were shots of Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers’ ace who had just taken the mound for his last start at Dodger Stadium.

Vanessa has long marked moments like these: from posting images when the Dodgers lit their clubhouse with Kobe’s “job’s not finished” mantra during a playoff run to bringing her daughters to marquee games like NLCS clinchers and World Series nights.

Kershaw had announced in an emotional press conference that the 2025 season would be his last. “I’m going to call it. I’m going to retire,” he said. Manager Dave Roberts called him “the greatest competitor I’ve ever been around,” adding that Kershaw “earned this right to walk away at his choosing.”

And Dodger Stadium gave him the sendoff he deserved. Facing the Giants, his most familiar rivals, Kershaw struck out Rafael Devers in the fifth inning before being lifted to a standing ovation that rolled through the ballpark. His wife, Ellen, cried in the stands, and former teammates filled the seats. The moment crystallized when Kershaw admitted afterward, “I can’t even put into words how special this night was to me.” He wasn’t dominant, six strikeouts, a handful of walks, a run or two allowed, but it didn’t matter.

That’s what made Vanessa’s presence resonate. By sharing her daughters’ joy alongside images of Kershaw, she placed the Bryant family in step with another chapter of Los Angeles sports history. Kobe had once embodied the city’s heartbeat across basketball and baseball, and Vanessa has carried that forward.

Away from the ballpark, Vanessa has been navigating life with the same quiet strength that has defined her since Kobe’s passing. Her oldest daughter, Natalia, is carving out her space, walking the New York Fashion Week runway . At the same time, Vanessa balances the swirl of NBA chatter, from Jaylen Brown rumors to the constant hum of Lakers storylines.

Magic Johnson salutes Kershaw’s legacy

Magic Johnson, now deeply invested in the Dodgers as a co-owner, was among the first to salute Kershaw publicly. On Instagram, he wrote: “Cookie and I enjoyed watching @dodgers legend, baseball great, and definitive future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw’s last regular season start! We were so happy to be at Dodger Stadium tonight to show our appreciation for Clayton’s 19 years with the Dodgers organization. He pitched a great game with 6 strikeouts!”

The message carried a special weight from a man who is a Hall of Famer himself and a co-owner of the Dodgers. Johnson speaks as a steward of the Dodgers, with a direct hand in shaping the era Kershaw came to define. So when Magic Johnson wrote that Clayton Kershaw is a “definitive future Hall of Famer,” he did it with conviction.

Having witnessed the left-hander’s towering résumé that makes his Cooperstown case undeniable: three Cy Young Awards, an MVP, two World Series titles, over 3,000 strikeouts, and a 2.54 ERA, the best in the modern era among pitchers with at least 100 starts.

Magic’s words line up with the Dodgers’ own leadership. Team chairman Mark Walter said Kershaw’s career is “truly legendary… one that we know will lead to his induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame.” Around the league, the consensus has already formed: his plaque in Cooperstown is a matter of “when,” not “if.”