“My Father and I, Don’t Talk Much”: Kobe Bryant Once Delved Into His Fractured Relationship With Former NBA Player, Joe Bryant

Growing up in a family of professional basketball players, Kobe Bryant was destined to be the legendary baller he became. His father, Joe Bryant, and an uncle from his mother’s side, Chubby Cox, were both NBA players. Joe played in the NBA for 8 years before taking his talents to Europe. And Bryant traveled with him. They had a healthy relationship during Kobe’s childhood. However, it didn’t remain the same after Kobe made it to the NBA. Much of his childhood was spent outside of the States, mostly in Europe. That’s where Kobe learned a bit of Italian and a lot of Spanish, as Joe spent 8 years in Italy, playing professional basketball for different teams. However, sports-wise, he wasn’t interested in anything apart from basketball.

Despite football being the major sport in Italy, Kobe knew he had to follow in the footsteps of his father. But he could not do everything that his father expected of him.

When Kobe Bryant opened up about his relationship with his father

Somewhere between 2013 and 2016, Kobe Bryant was going through some troublesome injuries in his career. And a reporter, who had also seen his father play in the NBA, asked him about the recovery advice his father gives to him.

“Unfortunately, we (my father and I) don’t talk much,” an emotional Kobe said, according to a clip by the YouTube channel Hoop Land. “You know, maybe down the road that relationship will be better, but right now, it’s not much.”

Jellybean and his wife were Catholics who strictly wanted their son to marry someone of the same decent [African-American] as theirs. And when Kobe married Vanessa Cornejo [of Mexican descent] in 2001, the two were deeply hurt.

Neither of the two attended their son’s wedding, which then hurt Kobe and led to them not talking for years. They did reconcile 4 years later, just to again go back to their separate ways in 2013.

Kobe’s parents tried to sell his memorabilia

Bryant once opened up about the fact that his parents never found the house gifted by him ‘good enough.’ But was shocked when he heard they tried to auction off memorabilia from his basketball career in 2013.

Hurt by their double standards, he again brought an end to their rocky relationship after filing a lawsuit for what they did.

Before the 41-year-old died in the helicopter crash in 2020, there were reports that the two families have amended their relationship. However, neither his father nor the mother has said anything since the death of their son, who was, and still is, a hero for millions.

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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