The biggest music tour of the year — and arguably of all time — has officially reached the City of Angels as Taylor Swift played the first of several shows at SoFi Stadium on Thursday night. Swift wasted no time paying homage to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and shared a truly special moment with Bryant’s daughter, Bianka.
Swift — who is playing music from all 10 of her studio-released albums on ‘The Era’s Tour’— has given a concert-worn hat to someone in attendance at every one of her shows while singing the hit single, ’22’. On Thursday, Swift not only gave the hat to Bianka Bryant but shared a genuine moment with her before getting back into the performance.
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Taylor Swift makes Lakers fans cry after heartwarming moment with Kobe Bryant’s daughter Bianka
Back in 2015, Swift and Kobe shared a moment at Staples Center when the Lakers legend presented the music icon with a championship banner for the most sold-out shows in the venue.
That banner would end up lasting five years until the arena removed it after some complaints that it was a jinx for the LA Kings. Regardless, Kobe and Swift shared a moment and their relationship went deeper than that.
Kobe was always someone who respected success regardless of the avenue and he made sure to defend Swift in an interview before his passing. Kobe turned a throwaway line that was meant to poke fun at Swift into a detailed answer about her greatness and explained how the pop star had always treated his daughters well, even before superstardom.
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It is clear that Swift and the Bryant family have a great relationship and it was a great moment to see her take the time out of the performance to not just make Bianka’s night, but to share a legitimate moment with her in the process.
Swift has four more shows at SoFi Stadium over the weekend. There undoubtedly will be several Lakers (and other LA sports stars) that will show up to get in on the fun.