Kobe Bryant’s parents will have Sunday, January 26, 2020, as a memorable date. It will forever be a day that Joe and Pam Byrant will never forget. Unfortunately is on a somber note, a painful burden in the heart of parents who lost not just an only son but their promising 13-year-old granddaughter, Gianna.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world mourned this significant loss. But there are many facts about Kobe Bryant’s parents, which would affect how there would handle their grief. The loss of their son, Kobe, and grandchild, Gianna, is a significant irredeemable pain to manage.
It is unarguable that no parent ever wants to bury their child, much less a grandchild as well.
And at this point where death has made it impossible to straighten differences, nothing more can be done, but wishes of things ought to have been.
Behind the headlines, these are the most facts about Kobe Bryant’s parents not discussed
Kobe Bryant’s parents wanted control over his life’s choices.
According to his letter to his younger self published in the Players’ Tribune, he highlighted the “challenges of mixing blood with business,” as well as the “anger, resentment, and jealousy” that may come from this.
This statement is not unrelated to the 2013 incident when his parents tried to auction a collection of their son’s career memorabilia. It included his high school uniforms as well as 2000 Lakers Championship rings.
He brought a lawsuit against his parents. They later settled outside the court after a public apology by his parents — eventually removing about 90% of the items in the proposed auction.
He took action to stop the auction because his approval was not sorted before they put up those things for sale.
Joe, who is Kobe’s dad, was a professional Basketball player.
He kickstarted his career with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1975. He also played for San Diego Clippers, now known as the Los Angeles Clippers. Joe “Jellybean” Bryant concluded his career with the Houstons Rockets.
In the same vein, Kobe’s mother, Pam, was part of the NBA world. Her brother, Chubby Cox, played for Washington Bullets now know as Wizards. So, it is a perfect background for Kobe to groom himself to become the superstar he was.
He topped his Dad’s career average of 8.7 points per game and Chubby, his uncle’s career average of 4.1 per game. Kobe has a remarkable career of 25 points per game average.
Kobe Bryant’s parents shunned his wedding
A wedding is an essential aspect of marriage. It is a day of merriment and show of love within families. Parents of the celebrants are always happy to share in the joy be being active in its planning and as well gracing the event with the presence.
But in the case of Kobe, his parents were nowhere to be found during his wedding. Even before the 2013 lawsuit against the auctioning of his memorabilia. Kobe Bryant’s parents have not had a smooth relationship with theirs.
As seen when Kobe got engaged to his wife just at 21 while she was 18, it was against his parents’ wish. In the parents’ view, he was moving too fast. Kobe, in his angle, felt his parents are comfortable with him to marry Hispanic instead of an African American.
Again, Kobe Bryant’s parents shunned his final game/retirement ceremony
How would his parents feel for missing these moments they can never have back still in this lifetime? Kobe is gone forever. When he retired in 2016, just three years after the lawsuit and the disputes that followed in weakening the family bond.
Even Kobe hurt by the way the family tore apart. He also hinted on this in his Player’s Tribune letter to his younger self. He talked about “tears and heartache, some of which remains to this day.”
He did not hide his resentment for his parents. On his retirement day, he appreciated other great NBA Hall of Famers before him, thanked his wife but failed to mention his parents, Joe and Pam Bryant.
Father and son found peace at last, though short-lived!
Kobe, notwithstanding his fallouts with his parents, did not let the beef get between his parents and their grandchildren. From the fact, he disclosed after the helicopter crash, Wayne Slappy, a very close friend of the Bryants family. He said that Gianna (Gigi) was very close to his grandpa.
He stated, “I remember […] seeing him hug his dad. You know how they loved each other from how they looked at each other, how they smiled,” This happened at a basketball camp in Santa Barbara, which Kobe and his dad were in attendance.
