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The 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show brought an unexpected sports crossover when the daughters of Kobe Bryant and Dennis Rodman stepped onto the runway together in Los Angeles.
Natalia Bryant and Trinity Rodman made their debuts during the VS Pink portion of the show at Sony Pictures Studios, marking a full-circle moment that dates back to when their fathers shared a locker room.
The two women first crossed paths as young kids after Bryant and Rodman became teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers during the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season. Rodman appeared in 23 games for the Lakers that year before the team moved on, while a 20-year-old Bryant was already establishing himself as a rising star.
Their daughters have stayed connected ever since.
Natalia Bryant and Trinity Rodman’s childhood bestie reunion at the Victoria’s Secret PINK Fashion Show runway is everything to me 🤞 https://t.co/QU45Rz9QeL
— TOGETHXR (@togethxr) October 18, 2026
Lakers history links Bryant and Rodman daughters
Backstage at the fashion show, Rodman noted the families’ long history.
“We have known each other since we were like 4 or 5 years old,” she said while standing with Bryant.
Kobe’s daughter Natalia Bryant walking in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 👏 https://t.co/g8QxoH5zeg
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) October 19, 2026
They were on the same youth soccer team when they were little. Rodman has brought it up before, saying she got annoyed because nobody else seemed to be trying. Running into each other again in Los Angeles right before the show made the night feel a little different than a normal runway booking.
Natalia Bryant, the oldest daughter of the late Lakers legend, has modeled for several major brands since signing with IMG Models in 2021.
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A post shared by Natalia Diamanté Bryant (@nataliabryant)
Trinity Rodman, meanwhile, arrived at the show mid-season with the Washington Spirit in the NWSL. She had played a full match just one day earlier as the Spirit clinched a playoff spot with a win over Gotham FC. The 24-hour turnaround from the pitch to the catwalk drew attention across both sports and fashion circles.
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A post shared by Trinity Rodman (@trinity_rodman)
Childhood friends share the stage in Los Angeles
Rodman, a gold medalist with the U.S. women’s national team at the 2024 Olympics, has spoken openly about the nerves that come with a Victoria’s Secret debut. She has said the experience felt more intense than some of her biggest soccer matches.
Bryant has steadily built a modeling career that includes runway work for houses such as Versace and Off-White, so Sunday’s appearance continued a path she was already on.
The show itself mixed established models with newer faces, and the presence of the two athletes’ daughters stood out to fans who remembered the brief but memorable Lakers connection from the late 1990s. While Rodman’s time in purple and gold was short and reportedly complicated, it created a lasting link between the families that played out publicly again this week.
Rodman is still playing for the Spirit, and Bryant has her own modeling schedule. For one night in Los Angeles, the two were on the same runway, a connection that goes back man years.