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She has already begun applying that education professionally.
Among her projects was work on a Kobe sneaker commercial featuring New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson.
She also served as a producer on a Los Angeles Lakers hype video featuring baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani.
The combination has given Natalia an increasingly unusual career path.Rent Designer Clothes
She is not choosing between fashion and filmmaking.
She is attempting to build a place for herself in both.
During her studies, Natalia became particularly interested in filmmakers including Sofia Coppola and Greta Gerwig, whose work has often explored girlhood, identity and coming-of-age experiences.
That interest in storytelling offers another side to someone the public may primarily recognize from red carpets and fashion campaigns.
Vanessa has spoken proudly about her eldest daughter’s determination.
“Natalia has always been able to accomplish anything she sets her mind to,” she said.
“I’m so proud of everything she’s achieved and impressed by the kind, smart, and beautiful young woman I’ve seen her become.”
Natalia has also maintained a connection to her family’s legacy.
She serves on the board of the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, the organization honoring Kobe and Gianna’s legacies by creating opportunities for young athletes.
And some of Natalia’s most emotional public moments have brought her directly back into the world associated with her father.Choose Baby Gear
In September 2023, she threw the ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium during the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Lakers Night honoring Kobe.
It was one of those occasions where Natalia’s own adulthood and Kobe’s legacy seemed to meet in the same moment.
Her transformation has also been visible simply by looking at photographs through the years.
In 2003, Natalia was a baby in Vanessa’s arms as the family watched the Lakers at Staples Center.
A photograph from 2004 showed her dressed in pink with a sparkling tiara at an event for The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.
By 2007, she was appearing beside Kobe and Vanessa at the Disneyland premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.
Then came one of the family photographs basketball fans may remember particularly well.Get Basketball Shoes
In 2010, after the Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics in Game Seven of the NBA Finals, Natalia and Gianna joined their father during his postgame celebration.
The girls were still children.
Kobe was at the height of his basketball career.
Nobody looking at those photographs could have imagined how differently the family’s story would eventually unfold.
As Natalia grew older, she continued accompanying her parents and siblings to public events.Rent Designer Clothes
The family attended the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports Awards in 2016.
In 2017, they appeared together at the Tribeca Film Festival as Kobe moved deeper into storytelling and filmmaking after basketball.
A year later, the family attended the premiere of Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time.
Then Natalia began emerging publicly on her own.
By 2021, she was stepping onto one of fashion’s most recognizable red carpets for the Met Gala.
In 2022, she stood beside Vanessa at the Baby2Baby Gala in a dramatic pink gown.
She also attended the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, where her increasingly sophisticated red-carpet style became evident.
More major appearances followed in 2023.
By then, Natalia was no longer simply accompanying famous parents to events.
She had become the person photographers were waiting to capture.
Her changing hairstyles also became part of that evolution.
For a period, Natalia was recognizable for a sleek black bob that framed her face and stopped near her neck.Carpet & Carpet Tiles
Later, she appeared with dramatically longer black hair, including a half-up style at Revolve Festival.
That look was paired with a denim mini skirt, a tucked-in sweater bearing the word “GIRL,” black ankle boots, white socks and layered jewelry.
The transition from youthful appearances beside Kobe and Vanessa to runway shows and major fashion events has happened gradually.
But placing the photographs side by side makes the change striking.
By 2025, Natalia was posing confidently at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in a sophisticated black dress.
And now, in 2026, the 23-year-old arriving at the US Open appears completely comfortable in front of the cameras.
That may explain why her latest appearance generated such an immediate reaction.