Vanessa Bryant Explains Blocking Kobe and Gigi Fan Accounts on Instagram

The outpouring of love on social media for Kobe and Gigi Bryant in the five months since they died in a helicopter crash has been difficult for Vanessa Bryant. 

Vanessa wrote on Instagram on Sunday (h/t Yahoo Sports) that she was thankful "for all the (love)" Kobe, her husband, and Gigi, her daughter, have received through fan-created accounts before noting she and her daughter Natalia had blocked "fan pages because it's been really hard to go online and constantly see pics of our beloved Gigi and Kobe under every single square of our explore pages."

Vanessa added, "we (love) you all but please understand that we had to do this for our own healing not because we don't appreciate your (love)."

Kobe, 41, and Gigi, 13, were among nine people killed Jan. 26 when a helicopter carrying them to a youth basketball tournament crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, California. 

There were at least 24 murals to Kobe and Gigi in the Los Angeles area alone, while other tributes to the Los Angeles Lakers legend and his daughter included fans setting up accounts on social media with videos and photos of them. 

Vanessa and Kobe married in 2001. The couple had four children together: Natalia, Gigi, Bianka and Capri.