Vanessa Bryant talks about the death of Kobe’s father Joe

Vanessa Bryant mourned the loss of her father-in-law Joe Bryant on Tuesday afternoon.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the father of the late Kobe Bryant died at the age of 69 after recently suffering a severe stroke.

“We send our condolences after hearing the news of my father-in-law’s passing,” she wrote in her Instagram story. “We had hoped things would have turned out differently. Although we only spent a limited amount of time together, he was always sweet and kind. Kobe loved him very much. Our prayers are with his family.”

Vanessa’s tribute to Joe seemed to allude to the strained relationship between Kobe and his parents, which was strained during his Hall of Fame career with the Lakers.

Kobe and Vanessa married in 2001 without the consent of Joe and Kobe’s mother Pamela, who did not attend the wedding.

In 2013, another dispute arose between Kobe and his parents after Pam attempted to auction off over $1.5 million worth of the Lakers star’s memorabilia.

According to The Sun, Kobe had been trying to rebuild his relationship with his father and mother before he died in a tragic helicopter crash in California on January 26, 2020, along with his daughter Gigi Bryant.

Joe, nicknamed “Jellybean” during his time as a basketball player, was selected 14th overall by the Warriors in the 1975 draft.

His draft rights were sold to his hometown 76ers less than four months later.

Joe played eight NBA seasons for the 76ers, the then San Diego Clippers and the Rockets.

After his NBA career, he played for several teams in Italy and France and later coached several teams in the United States and abroad, including the Los Angeles Sparks from 2005 to 2007 and La Salle University from 1993 to 1996.

“We are saddened to announce the passing of La Salle basketball great Joe Bryant,” the LaSalle basketball team said in a post on X following his death.