It’s not unusual for Taylor Swift to invite and interact with special guests at her shows, but her “Eras Tour” stop in Los Angeles Thursday (August 3rd) had an especially memorable VIP. After performing “22,” the pop star crouched down to the side of the stage to gift her black fedora to 6-year-old Bianka Bryant, daughter of the late basketball legend Kobe Bryant.
Swift often gives away the famed “22” hat at her shows, but she has a bit of a backstory with the Bryant family. Back in 2015, Kobe presented Swift mid-concert with a banner for most sold-out shows in Staples Center history — quite the honor coming from a Laker.
Ahead of Thursday’s show, Kobe’s wife Vanessa shared a photo of her night’s outfit, which included a jean jacket emblazoned with a photo of Swift and Kobe from that 2015 moment. On the front, it read “say you’ll remember me,” a particularly relevant nod to Swift’s hit “Wildest Dreams.”
Bryant died in January 2020 following a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, which also killed another one of his daughters, 13-year-old Gianna. If anyone deserves to have their pop star dreams come true, we’d argue for Bianka. See a fan-captured clip of the sweet moment below.
Swift still has a whole bunch of “The Eras Tour” dates coming up, including a just-announced leg of 2024 North American dates. For those new shows, registration for a Ticketmaster Verified Fan pre-sale is now ongoing through August 5th. Tickets will then go on sale beginning Wednesday, August 9th via Ticketmaster.
Once tickets are on sale, you can also find them at StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program. Stubhub is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.
Taylor Swift gave her “22” hat to Kobe Bryant’s daughter Bianka during her show in Los Angeles on Thursday.pic.twitter.com/3WCi0g4KAh
— CONSEQUENCE (@consequence) August 4, 2023
📲| Vanessa Bryant shared her jacket for tonight’s show ❤️ pic.twitter.com/QGAYAs3Fd3
— The Swift Society (@TheSwiftSociety) August 3, 2023