Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa shares touching gesture by Russell Wilson and Ciara on late NBA star's 44th birthday 

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, Ciara, Vanessa Bryant, and the late Kobe Bryant

Russell Wilson and his wife Ciara were close friends with Vanessa and Kobe Bryant. Since the NBA champion's tragic death, the Wilsons have stood by the side of Vanessa and her three daughters.

Ciara has even been a constant presence at the Los Angeles County courthouse. Vanessa is suing the city and Sheriff's department for taking photographs of the remains at the helicopter crash site.

Tuesday, August 23, 2022, would have been Kobe Bryant's 44th birthday and tributes to the NBA legend flooded social media.

Vanessa Bryant shared some of the posts as well as floral arrangements she and her family received on the occasion of her late husband's birthday.

Vanessa posted a photo of a beautiful arrangement of red roses that were sent to her by the Wilson family. She added a red heart emoji that read "Thank You" along with a graphic of Kobe's jersey.

A story posted by Vanessa Bryant on her Instagram page.

In honor of Kobe's birthday, Vanessa also announced on Instagram a special edition Mamba Mentality sweatshirt. The sweatshirt has the iconic Mamba Mentality logo that Kobe made so famous. All proceeds will benefit the Mamba Mambacita Sports Foundation.

No doubt Bryant's work and success on and off the basketball court will be honored and cherished for a long time.

Can QB Russell Wilson lead the Denver Broncos to success?

The Denver Broncos have had issues at quarterback the last few seasons. After drafting Drew Lock in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, he was never given a proper opportunity to cement himself as a starter.

Last season, he and Teddy Bridgewater both spent time as starters, but the Broncos made the decision to completely move on from Lock this offseason. They traded him along with Noah Fant, Shelby Harris and draft picks to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for Russell Wilson.

Now, Russell Wilson is tasked with the job of bringing the Broncos out of the bottom of the AFC West.

He is expected to make his side compete with the Kansas City Chiefs, who are perennial division winners, the up-and-coming Los Angeles Chargers, and the new-look Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders are now endowed with new wide receiver Davante Adams.

The Super Bowl-winning quarterback brings his tough, winning mentality to the Broncos. It's something that they haven't really seen since their Super Bowl run with Peyton Manning.