On Wednesday, what would have been Kobe Bryant’s 45th birthday, his wife Vanessa is thinking of him.

In a touching post accompanied by images from their time together, Vanessa, now 41, wished the late basketball great a happy birthday.

I wish you a great birthday, sweetie. Always and forever, I will love you. She referenced his birthdate (#82378) in an Instagram post.

After meeting in 1999 on the set of a music video when Kobe was 20 and Vanessa was 17, they went on to have a 20-year marriage. They had daughters Natalia in 2003 and Gianna in 2006 after getting hitched on April 18, 2001 in Dana Point, California.

Kobe and Vanessa have had two additional kids, Bianka (2016) and Capri (2019), since Kobe announced his retirement from the NBA in a poem published on The Players’ Tribune on November 29, 2015. Kobe played in the NBA for 20 seasons.

In January of 2020, Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, along with six other parents and members of her basketball team, and the pilot, were killed in a helicopter crаsh.

Vanessa’s latest sneaker design, the Kobe Bryant 8 Protro, was also unveiled on Wednesday.

“The Halo concept will be an annual release that will honor and celebrate this special date,” Nike said on their website.

Vanessa also posted a little black-and-white movie on Instagram to tease the sneaker. She captioned the photo, “Kobe 8 ‘Halo’ 8.23.23 This is just one of many Kobe 8 ‘Halo’ styles on the way.”

In March 2021, Vanessa told PEOPLE that having girls gives her the fortitude to “smile through the pаin” and move on after a loss.

This suffering is indescribable, yet you must rise and press on. Weeping in bed won’t make things better for my family; they’ll never be the same. However, waking up and moving forward will improve the day for my daughters and me. That’s why I do it,” she finally said.

During her talk about “finding the light in darkness,” Vanessa also discussed the lasting impact of her late daughter’s and husband’s lives and careers. If I had to sum it up in one sentence, I’d sаy that Kobe and Gigi inspire me to keep going. They encourage me to push myself each day and improve in some way. They inspire me in so many ways, and their love is unconditional,” she remarked.