Vanessa Bryant will donate proceeds from lawsuit to Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation

Vanessa Bryant, the widow of basketball Hall of Famer and Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, said she plans to donate some of the proceeds from Wednesday’s $16 million judgment to a foundation named in honor of her late husband and daughter.

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A California jury on Wednesday awarded the money to Vanessa Bryant after photographs were leaked from the site of the helicopter crash where her husband, their daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, and seven other occupants were killed on Jan. 26, 2020.

The nonprofit Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation offers sports education to underserved athletes, according to the Los Angeles Times. The organization was founded in 2016 as the Mamba Sports Foundation but was renamed after Gianna Bryant’s death.

Vanessa Bryant’s attorney, Luis Li, did not reveal how much she plans to donate, according to the newspaper.

Bryant and Chris Chester both were awarded money after the jury deliberated 4 1/2 hours after an 11-day trial. Chester, who lost his wife, Sarah, and his daughter Payton, in the crash, was awarded $15 million.

“From the beginning, Vanessa Bryant has sought only accountability, but our legal system does not permit her to force better policies, more training or officer discipline,” Li said in a statement. “Those measures are the responsibility of the sheriff’s and fire departments -- responsibilities that Mrs. Bryant’s efforts have exposed as woefully deficient, even giving amnesty to the wrongdoers.”

The decision came down coincidentally on Kobe Bryant Day a k a Mamba Day, which honors the late legend, whose jersey numbers -- 8 and 24 -- are the impetus for the celebration.

During the trial, attorneys for Vanessa Bryant and Chris Chester argued that the photographs had violated their clients’ right to privacy and inflicted emotional distress.

Attorneys for Los Angeles County argued that there were legitimate reasons for first responders to take and receive the photographs, including to help determine the size of the crash site and decide what resources were needed, the Times reported.

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Photos: Kobe Bryant through the years NEW YORK - 1996: First Round NBA draft pick Kobe Bryant poses for a photo. Copyright 1996 NBAE (Photo by Andy Hayt/NBAE via Getty Images) (Andy Hayt/NBAE via Getty Images)

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Fans arrives for a celebration of life for Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

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