No, Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna did not share birthday

A viral Facebook post falsely claims that Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, shared the same birthday. The post published shortly after the news that Bryant, his daughter, and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in California Jan. 26.

"Heartbreaking," says text in the photo, along with dates denoting their birth and death, "Kobe Bryant 8.23.1978—1.26.2020. Gianna Bryant 8.23.2006—1.26.2020."

The post features an image of Bryant smiling while looking down at and hugging his daughter. She’s looking up at him and has an arm around his neck.

"Omg they shared the same birthdays and home going," said caption for the photo.

This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

The post has the right information for the former Los Angeles Lakers basketball player. But it has the wrong birthday for his daughter, Gianna. She was born May 1, 2006.

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Instagram posts

stated on January 30, 2025 in a video

The U.S. Army helicopter in the Jan. 29 plane collision was the same model of helicopter in the 2020 Kobe Bryant crash.

"Happy 13th birthday my Gigi! I love you beyond measure baby #teen #daddysgirl #tauro #mambacita," Bryant posted on Instagram, May 1, 2019.

Both father and daughter died the same day, but they were not both born on Aug. 23.

We rate the post False.