The loss never gets easier if you're a Los Angeles Lakers fan. That applies a hundred times over for Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa and the rest of the Bryant family.

On what would have been Kobe's 44th birthday, Vanessa Bryant made a heartfelt post on Instagram in remembrance of her beloved husband. She kept it short and sweet for her caption but the happiness in the photo said all that needed to be said.

It hasn't been all smooth for Vanessa Bryant and her family of late, with the lawsuit centered around the crash that shook their family's life forever still at full swing. Photos taken from first responders that they had shown to colleagues and civilians were at the center of the case that has continued to trouble the Bryant family.

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Nuggets' Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray (smiling or looking happy) at an upset Lakers' LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

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Nuggets' Nikola Jokic doing the "choke" sign on Lakers' LeBron James, Anthony Davis

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LeBron James and Anthony Davis looking upset/angry/frustrated from tonight's game. Nikola Jokic in the background, from tonight's game.

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But when it comes to remembering Kobe, his impact continues to be felt almost every day with players on all levels honoring him and using his words and actions as motivation, both on and off the court.

To just imagine what kind of achievements and feats Kobe Bryant would have been able to accomplish by this time had the tragedy not befallen the Lakers icon always adds a tinge of sadness when remembering the man that he was. With Vanessa Bryant and all the lives he's touched still speaking him to existence all the time, the impact he's already made will continue to be felt for decades to come.