Kobe Bryant’s mother, Pam Bryant, is a very private person. She has led a private life with no presence on social media whatsoever. Pam married former basketball player Joe “Jelly” Bryant. The couple married in 1975 and had three children together. Kobe, Sharia and Shaya.
Almost anyone who knows about Bryant knows that Kobe and his parents were not that close. There were differences due to family reasons. There was an apparent rift between them for years. Rumors say that the rift started when Kobe made the decision to marry Vanessa Laine when he was 21 years old.
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Joe and Pam Bryant didn’t want Kobe to go through with his marriage with Vanessa. Both the parents did not support Kobe’s marriage. They did not even attend the wedding.
Pam also believed that Kobe was not mature enough and was still young and should not have married at that age.
Kobe Bryant sued his parents
Pam Bryant once attempted to sell off Kobe Bryant’s memorabilia. She claimed that it was indeed given by Kobe from his high school and professional basketball career so that his parents could buy a new house. After this, Kobe filed a lawsuit. Later, he settled with the auction house for an undisclosed amount, and the auction went on as planned. The rift was more public after this fiasco.
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Joe and Pam released a public apology to their son, saying, “We apologize for any misunderstanding and unintended pain we have caused our son and appreciate the financial support he has provided over the years.”
No matter how their relations were, both parents were distraught to lose their son and granddaughter to a horrific incident in a helicopter accident at the start of 2020. They attended the funeral and were visibly in shock.
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They still do not have a perfect or ideal relationship with Vanessa, but that has been like that for many years now. After Kobe’s demise, there have been almost no disputes from either side publicly.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Essentially Sports
