Luka Doncic and Kobe Bryant may just be vastly different in their approach to the game but they shared an awfully similar experience in their lives. Both Bryant and Doncic were involved in a dirty dispute with their mothers. The public disagreements not only impacted their personal bonds with their mother but also brought commentary from fans and media into their lives.
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However, unlike Pam and Kobe Bryant, the dispute between Luka Doncic and Mirjam Poterbin was resolved amicably. Moreover, also unlike the Bryants, Poterbin also responded to the media appropriately without insulting or disrespecting her son.
Mirjam Poterbin ensured Luka Doncic wasn’t insulted over their dispute
When Luka Doncic debuted in the NBA, handed control of the brand ‘Luka Doncic 7’ to his mother. The Slovenian superstar’s success and multiple endorsements perhaps changed his influence. In September of 2022, he filed to cancel the registration of his trademark logo. Doncic, after his request, stated:
“I have a lot to look forward to as I continue to grow as a player and a person and it’s important to me to control my own brand and focus on giving back to my communities.”
Doncic’s mother Mirjam Poterbin, in turn, responded to the media with her own letter. In it, she claimed that Luka was being influenced by the people he has surrounded himself with in the last 2 years. But apart from this accusation, Mirjam refused to throw her own son under the bus. She outlined her plan of action and assured none of it would be done publicly.
Mirjam: “Everything that is written comes from people who surrounded Luka in the last two years and want complete control over his life and career. I don’t want to wash dirty laundry in public, especially at a time when Luka needs to be collected and focused on the important matches ahead of him. From the moment he was born, the only thing that mattered to me was that Luka was happy and that he was allowed to follow his dreams, which is normal for every mother. Threats from people who want to take advantage of my son, including me by writing articles like this at the least convenient time for Luka, will not reach me alive. I will always stand behind protecting my son and I will never deviate from that.”
Fortunately, Doncic and Poterbin managed to resolve their differences. In December of 2022, Luka Doncic dropped his request to cancel the trademark controlled by his mother. The two likely settled the dispute silently without revealing any of the details. Exactly the way Poterbin promised.
Kobe Bryant and Pam were involved in a lot more ‘public’ dispute
In contrast to Doncic and Poterbin, Bryants weren’t as subtle. Instead, they waged a full-on public war of he said this, she said this. In fact, Kobe even commented on his disappointment with his mother on Twitter.
When u give Give GIVE and they take Take TAKE at wat point do u draw a line in the sand? #hurtbeyondmeasure #gavemenowarning #love?
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) May 4, 2013
Pame, as per Vanessa and Kobe Bryant, took the Lakers legend’s early life memorabilia and never returned it. Instead, she put it up for auction. Pam justified it by revealing Bryant had willingly given it to her but was now going back on his words. But Kobe denied these claims. Eventually, Pam and Joe publicly apologized for hurting Kobe. Not the most peaceful resolution with your parents.
