Roland Lazenby Reveals Kobe Bryant’s Grandfather Big Joe Wanted Him to Become a Writer

Renowned sportswriter Roland Lazenby recently made an appearance on WURD Radio and in a segment of the show, talked about Big Joe Bryant, the late grandfather of the late, great Kobe Bryant. Having written a book on Kobe, Lazenby has a lot of untold stories about the late Mamba and his family. During the interaction with WURD Radio, he unveiled that despite having a successful son in the NBA, Kobe’s grandpa wanted him to continue with his interest in writing instead of trying to be a basketball player.

Lazenby said that though he was very supportive of his son Joseph Washington Bryant’s career, he felt his grandson should pursue a career in writing as he had an interest in it, and he was good for his age. The author of SHOWBOAT said, “Big Joe you know even he so embraced Kobe when he came along… He [Big Joe] was saying, to Kobe, why do you want to be a sweaty basketball player? Because Kobe was a writer… He said you’ve got all this writing ability.”

During that segment, he also recalled how Kobe’s father meant a lot to the Philadelphia community, as he was a representative of the city in the NBA. Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant passed away on July 16, 2024. Labeling him a legend for the Philadelphia 76ers, he paid tribute to him and mentioned how he was very supportive of Kobe‘s career and was willing to encourage him to any extent. Since Kobe was adored by his family, everyone supported him in his quest to become a basketball player.

The renowned writer said that the Bryant family was a deeply rooted part of the Philly community, and they meant a lot to the people there. After finishing a Hall of Fame career, when Kobe went on to showcase his impressive talent in the world of art and creativity, it reminded Lazenby of Joe Bryant’s early expectations from his son.

Kobe Bryant hit the ground in the creative field

During a conversation with Complex News in 2017, Kobe said, “Fast forward 20 years from now: If basketball is the best thing I’ve done in my life, then I’ve failed. It’s a very simple mission, very simple quest, very simple goal. These next 20 years need to be better than the previous 20. It’s as simple as that and that is what drives me.” The Black Mamba, known for speaking dreams into existence, was on track to make the next 20 years of his life better than the one he had in the NBA.

Kobe wrote several books after he retired from the game, including ‘Legacy and the Queen’, ‘The Mamba Mentality: How I Play’, ‘The Wizenard Series: Training Camp’. He also wrote and narrated an animated short film titled ‘Dear Basketball’ which was released in 2017 and the Mamba won an Oscar for the same. His love for art, especially writing started at a very young age as he was a huge Harry Potter nerd.