Vanessa Bryant and Daughters Cheer on U.S. Basketball as They Crush Australia to Reach Olympic Gold Medal Game

Mar. 15, 2025

(L-R) Bianka, Capri, Vanessa and Natalia Bryant at the U.S. women’s basketball semifinal game.Photo:Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Vanessa Bryantand her daughters are a few of Team USA basketball’s No. 1 fans!

Vanessa, 42, sat courtsidewith her daughters Natalia, 21, Bianka, 7, and Capri, 5,as the U.S. women’s basketball team crushed Australia to win their semifinal game on Friday, Aug. 9 and secure their spot in Sunday’s gold medal match.

The Bryant family watched as Team USA won 84-64, and spent much of the game with nearly a double-digit lead. They’ll play the winner of the next semifinal, between Belgium and hometown France, for a shot at their eighth-straightOlympic gold.

Vanessa and Natalia are close friends of Olympic and WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu, who countedKobe Bryantas a mentor before his death. They all support each other frequently, withVanessa and Natalia attending Ionescu’s weddingin March andIonescu playing basketball with Biankaduring the Bryants' recent visit to New York City.

Jackie Young plays against Australia in the Olympic semifinal.Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Ionescu told PEOPLE after the game that she loved having the family there to cheer them on.

“I knew they were going to be here watching the Olympics, supporting me, and that’s always really exciting,” she said. “They always come, whether it’s near or far, to be able to support, and I’m obviously very excited about that.”

The U.S. women’s basketball team has been absolutely dominant since the sport was introduced to the Olympics in 1976. They’ve won nine of 12 possible golds, including seven-straight, and Friday’s semifinal marked their 60th-straight game win.

Ionescu told reporters, including PEOPLE, afterwards that “anything can happen,” in the the Olympics and they plan to “go up a notch for us to be able to win a gold medal” on Sunday.

Along with the Bryants, plenty of other stars packed the court to cheer them on. Natalia switched seats partway through to sit next to retired WNBA star Sue Bird, who’s won five of those seven-straight golds, and her fiancée, former USWNT star Megan Rapinoe, who also has Olympic gold and bronze medals. Vanessa, meanwhile, sat next to South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, who managed Bird and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic team to gold.

(L-R) Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird and Dawn Staley.Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

On the other end of the row sat men’s basketball stars Kevin Durant and Bam Adebayo, who will play for gold on Saturday against France, and former NBA star Carmelo Anthony.

Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant.VIRGINIE LEFOUR/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

VIRGINIE LEFOUR/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

source: people.com