Vanessa Bryant gifts LSU Women’s Basketball Nike Kobe 6 sneakers ahead of Elite 8 win vs Miami

Right as the women’s LSU team were heading into the Elite Eight matchup against the Miami Hurricanes this weekend, the Tigers were gifted Nike Kobe 6 shoes courtesy of Vanessa Bryant. 

We don’t know if these sneakers were magical, but they sure were an inspiring gesture, as the Louisiana side took this motivation to court on Sunday night and beat the Florida team 54 to 42.

The team got Kobe 6 Grinches thanks to Vanessa Bryant 💚 pic.twitter.com/U9Rqvzus5w

— LSU Women's Basketball (@LSUwbkb) March 25, 2023

As you can see in the tweet above, the LSU athletes were visibly cheering in excitement as they realized it was Vanessa who gave them the presents, as well as discovering the sneakers were a “grinch” colorway edition.

Before this weekend’s contest, the Tigers were coming off an impressive Sweet Sixteen triumph over the Utah Utes, with foward LaDazhia Williams playing one of her best performances of the campaign, dropping 11 out of her 14 shots with a season-high 24 points to her name.

LSU sophomore Angel Reese also contributed immensely to her squad, hitting 17 points and winning 12 rebounds that night, making it her 31st double-double of her season so far, now tied with with Mississippi State Bulldogs Teaira McCowan’s 2018/19 campaign for the most in the division’s history.

Their performances have been caughting the attention of fans all over the United States, including celebrities like Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Wayne, who took it to social media to show his support of the LSU women’s team and especially rooting for Reese’s new record.

LSU are the first team to earn a spot in the Final Four

This past Sunday, the Tigers were on fire against No.9 seed from Miami, who’ve had an impressive run in March Madness so far, until they encountered the Louisiana squad, now considered definite title-contenders for this NCAA Tournament.

LSU’s dominant defensive performance earned it the first spot in the Final Four of the 2023 women’s NCAA tournament. Take a look at the highlights of their Elite Eight victory over Miami in the link below:

After the game, Louisiana coach Kim Mulkey shared what this feat means to her and the squad. “What really makes me smile is not cutting that net down,” she said. “It’s looking around at all those LSU people, looking at the team I get to coach, and experience it for the first time. This is the first time any of them have been to the Final Four.”

Alexa Morris led her team in points again this weekend, dropping a total of 21 against the Hurricanes. As for Reese, she achieved yet another double-double, scoring 13 points, and winning 18 rebounds last night, including 14 defensive efforts and securing the team’s lower end of the court.

“We worked so hard, and we did everything that coach Mulkey said,” Angel Reese said, as they are headed to Dallas to confront the Final Four. “And now look at us!”