Kobe Bryant is fondly remembered as one of the greatest NBA superstars ever. However, he wasn’t the first player to enter the league’s ranks from his family. His father, Joe Bryant was also an NBA player, having been drafted in 1975 himself. Taken in the first round, Joe played for three different NBA teams, but couldn’t quite achieve too much of note. And, as revealed in Jeff Pearlman’s book, Three Ring Circus, the highlight of his career came off the court, not on, when he crashed into three cars and was later found with bags of cocaine in his vehicle.
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Joe had what many may consider to be a lackluster NBA career. Spending eight seasons in the league, he was drafted by the Golden State Warriors, who traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers. After that, he moved on to play for the San Diego Clippers and the Houston Rockets, before finally taking his talents to Europe. Admittedly, his career was in stark contrast to that of his son.
Joe Bryant, the father of Kobe Bryant, was once caught with bags of cocaine in his vehicle
Joe Bryant had a comparatively pedestrian NBA career. Spending eight seasons in the NBA, he played for three different teams. Although he had the size and capability, he was unable to fulfill his potential. Averaging just 8.7 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, he failed to impress during his time in the league.
In fact, the highlight of his career came when he was in Philadelphia. Having been flagged by the police for a broken taillight, Bryant tried to evade them. However, law enforcement caught up when he crashed into three cars in a hurry. Unfortunately for him, things went from bad to worse after that, as police found bags of cocaine in his car.
“Though Joe Bryant was a former NBA player and a 1975 first-round draft pick of the Golden State Warriors, he was one of those dime-a-dozen guys who comes, plays, then slinks from the spotlight. Over his eight seasons with three organizations, he averaged a pedestrian 8.7 points and 4 rebounds. He appeared in 30 playoff games, never starting one. His greatest professional claim to fame came on May 5, 1976, when Philadelphia police attempted to pull him over for a busted taillight. Bryant fled the scene before crashing into three parked cars. He was arrested, and officers found several bags of cocaine in his vehicle.”
Kobe Bean and Joe Jellybean Bryant (1996) pic.twitter.com/rUpMvjaCw4
— Kobe Highlights & Motivation (@kobehighlight) November 9, 2022
Despite his lackluster career, his coaches were quite impressed by him. Some even felt that he could have developed into one of the NBA’s more steady players. Dick Weiss, a well-known Philadelphia sports columnist even stated that he had Kevin Durant-like ability. Unfortunately, it never quite came together. And now he is remembered better as the father of the great Kobe Bryant.
Kobe had a difficult and fractured relationship with his father
There can be no denying that Joe Bryant is proud of his son, Kobe Bryant. The things he has done on an NBA court are what Joe could only dream of as a player. However, his decisions off the court are what led to a strained relationship between father and son. Joe and his wife Pam are both devout Catholics and were intent on seeing their son marry a woman of African-American descent.
However, things didn’t go as planned, as the Black Mamba met and fell in love with Vanessa Cornejo. This led to a fallout between Kobe and his family. And, as he revealed in an interview years later, he still didn’t have a great relationship with his parents. So much so, that he hadn’t spoken to his father in a long time.
The two had made many attempts to reconcile over the years, and according to a 2021 report, things were good between the two right before Kobe’s untimely passing. However, neither Joe nor his wife have spoken about their son since then, leaving many confused.
