Vanessa Bryant Posts Photo Of Kobe Wearing 'I Can't Breathe T-Shirt'

After the killing of George Floyd by police officers, Vanessa Bryant encouraged people over Instagram to dismantle racism in homes and classrooms instead of looting on the streets.

After the killing of George Floyd by police officers, Vanessa Bryant encouraged people over Instagram to dismantle racism in homes, classrooms and voting booths instead of looting on the streets. 

"Life is so fragile," Bryant wrote Saturday. "Life is so unpredictable. Life is too short. Let’s share and embrace the beautiful qualities and similarities we all share as people. Drive out hate. Teach respect and love for all at home and school. Spread LOVE. Fight for change- register to VOTE. Do not use innocent lives lost as an excuse to loot. BE AN EXAMPLE OF THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE. #BLACKLIVESMATTER ❤️"

Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died Monday after a white police officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes despite him saying multiple times that he couldn't breathe. 

Bryant posted a photo of her late husband Kobe wearing a T-shirt that says, "I can't breathe," which he donned in December of 2014 in support of Eric Garner, a black man who died after being put in a chokehold by a police officer in New York. 

"My husband wore this shirt years ago and yet here we are again.💔#ICANTBREATHE," Bryant wrote. 

Kobe, a five-time NBA champion with the Lakers who died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, told reporters why he wore that T-shirt during warmups on Dec. 10, 2014 following a game that evening.

"I think it’s us supporting that movement and supporting each other,” Bryant said. “The beauty of our country lies in its democracy. I think if we ever lose the courage to be able to speak up for the things that we believe in, I think we really lose the value that our country stands for.”

Kobe added that everyone should be incensed by police brutality. 

“I think it would be a serious disservice to limit this to a race issue," Kobe said. "It’s a justice issue."