Taylor Swift shared a special moment with Kobe and Vanessa Bryant’s daughter, Bianka, during her Eras Tour concert at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Thursday, gifting the 6-year-old her “22” hat. Vanessa and her daughters were among the Swifties at the country singer’s sixth tour.
During the middle of Swift’s performance, the singer-songwriter picked Bianka out of the crowd and brought her up on stage. As her own tradition, Swift gives her iconic red hat to one lucky fan every time she performs “22,” a song from her fourth studio album, Red (2012).
However, Swift still gives away the black top hat from “22” as well. She either gifts her hat to a random fan or picks someone special in advance. When Selena Gomez watched the Arlington, Texas, concert, Swift gave Gomez’s sister, Gracie Teefey, her red hat.
One other famous recipient of the “22” hat was Mikael Arellano, a fan beloved by Swifties in the TikTok space who created the viral “Bejewled” dance trend.
Taylor Swift hugged Bianka, Kobe Bryant’s daughter, and gifted her the iconic “22” black top hat during her Eras Tour concert at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles
After Swift hugged Bianka and placed the hat on her head, fans erupted in cheers and applause over the gesture. At the concert, Vanessa wore a custom jean jacket to honor the Los Angeles Lakers legend. She posted photos of the jacket to Instagram.
Furthermore, the Bryant family has a lengthy history with Swift. In 2015, Kobe took the stage at Staples Center (now known as Crypto.com Arena) to reveal a banner to pay homage to her record for sold-out shows at the venue.
“Make some noise for your own Kobe Bryant,” said Swift after Bryant made his way to her as she performed “Style.” The singer-songwriter has sold over 200 million records worldwide.
Congrats on record setting 16 sold out shows @taylorswift13! @STAPLESCenter raises a banner for you! #1989TourLA pic.twitter.com/AqvAbSvGgC
— Crypto.com Arena (@cryptocomarena) August 22, 2015
@finalgirljesss That one time during the 1989 tour where Taylor brought out Kobe and he gave her her own banner to hang in the stadium 🥹💕#huluchippendalesdance #aeholidaycard #BeTheReasonVisa #TaylorSwift #IntuitTouchdownDance #AmazonSavingSpree #TaylorsVersion #Taylornation #Swifttok #Swiftie #Swiftie4ever #1989 #Kobe #KobeBryant #LosAngeles #StaplesCenter
Gigi Bryant, Kobe’s 13-year-old daughter who died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020, was also a huge Swiftie. Before attending Thursday’s concert, Vanessa shared a throwback of her late daughter rocking out to “You Belong With Me.”
Swift’s previous concerts include the Fearless Tour (April 2009 to July 2010), Speak Now World Tour (February 2011 to March 2012), the Red Tour (March 2013 to June 2014), the 1989 World Tour (May 2015 to December 2015), and Reputation Stadium Tour (May 2018 to November 2018).
Including 12 Grammy Awards, Taylor Swift has won a Primetime Emmy Award, 40 American Music Awards, 29 Billboard Music Awards, and 12 Country Music Association Awards. Plus, she has three Album of the Year wins.