Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa mourns death of father-in-law Joe while hinting at their family feud
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Vanessa Bryant is mourning the death of her late husband Kobe Bryant’s father Joe while seemingly referencing the NBA legend’s rumored feud with his parents.
Four years after the passing of Kobe - who was 41 then - his father, Joe breathed his last earlier this week after suffering from a stroke recently. He was 69.
As the entire basketball community is mourning Joe’s death, his daughter-in-law pays her respects while appearing to regret the bad blood between the father and son, saying they “hoped things would’ve been different.”
Vanessa Bryant pays respect to Kobe Bryant's father Joe Bryant
Taking to her Instagram, the 42-year-old philanthropist remembered her father-in-law, writing, “Sending our condolences upon hearing the news of my father-in-law’s passing.”
In the post made on Tuesday, July 16, the former model seemingly expressed her regrets over the alleged rift between Kobe and his parents - father Joe and mother Pam.
She wrote on her Instagram Story, “We hoped things would’ve been different. Although the times we spent together were few, he was always sweet and nice to be around. Kobe loved him very much. Our prayers go out to family.”
Kobe’s relationship with his parents had somewhat been rocky throughout his illustrious career. In 2016, Kobe revealed that his relationship with his parents deteriorated after Joe and Pam tried to sell his high school memorabilia without his consent.
He told ESPN during that time, “Our relationship is s**t,” before adding, “I say (to them): "I'm going to buy you a very nice home, and the response is "That's not good enough"... then you're selling my s**t?” per Daily Mail.
Earlier this year, Kobe’s parents courted controversies again when they sold the replica of his 2000 NBA title ring for the Los Angeles Lakers at an auction for $927,000. It was the replica of the original ring that Kobe gifted to his parents.
Kobe Bryant had a strained relationship with his parents
The Los Angeles Lakers star died in a tragic accident in January 2020 when the helicopter carrying him, his then 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven other passengers crashed in Calabasas, California.
Though before his death, Kobe was reportedly trying to mend his relationship with his parents, the basketball legend had a strained relationship with his parents.
Per Page Six, their relationship got rocky when he started dating Vanessa in 1999. As he got engaged to her, the relationship deteriorated.
Kobe once shared with the Los Angeles Times that his parents had an issue with his wife because of Vanessa’s ethnicity. Joe and Pam did not attend the couple’s wedding ceremony in April 2001 as well.
It further went downhill when they tried selling the memorabilia he gifted them.
