Kobe Bryant’s daughter Natalia stuns on new magazine cover

Natalia Bryant has spoken about life after the death of her NBA legend dad Kobe as she lands a major modelling achievement.

Natalia Bryant has already reached a major modelling milestone.

The 18-year-old daughter of late basketball legend Kobe Bryant fronts Teen Vogue’s September 2021 issue, marking her first time as a magazine cover star.

Natalia, who recently started her first year as a film student at the University of Southern California, posed in a Spanish-style villa in the upscale LA neighbourhood of Brentwood for the shoot, modelling pieces ranging from a silky Alejandra Alonso dress to a cozy Kingsley cardigan.

While this was her first photo shoot for a glossy, she had practice posing in front of the camera earlier this year, when she appeared alongside mum Vanessa for a special Bulgari campaign for Mother’s Day.

Natalia told the mag she long dreamt about becoming a model, and shared her aspirations with her mother during a shopping trip at luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman.

“I want to do that,” she recalled saying while watching a Chanel runway show on the New York store’s screen, although Vanessa cautioned her against jumping into the industry too soon.

“For my mum, it was really important for me to go through high school and get my education. Especially complete college too,” she said, adding that her parents tried to give her a normal upbringing.

“Growing up, my parents made it as normal as possible. Thank God they did. It’s not, ‘Oh she’s Natalia Bryant, she’s Kobe Bryant’s daughter.’ A lot of times they saw me as ‘She’s just Nani’.”

Natalia Bryant (right) in 2017 with her mum Vanessa, dad Kobe and sister Gianna, who also died in the 2020 plane crash. Picture: Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Now, having signed with IMG models in February, Natalia is primed to balance both college and her budding career. Vanessa dropped the young model off at USC in late August, taking her two younger daughters Bianka, 4, and Capri, 2, along for the trip.

But the Teen Vogue interview also gave Natalia a chance to speak out. The young star recalled once posting a TikTok and having a commenter write, “This is the first time I ever heard your voice.”

“I never realise that,” the young model said. “You always see a face, but it’s hard to … think of a voice behind that face.”

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission