Throughout the coverage and talk about the tragedy involving Kobe and Gianna Bryant, the subject of Bryant’s parents has received little coverage.
Kobe had a rocky relationship with his parents Joe and Pam. Some of the issues began when Kobe decided to marry at a young age. He reconciled with his parents after the birth of his first daughter, Natalia, but the three went through a public fight in 2013 over some memorabilia.
Even if Joe and Pam’s relationship with Kobe has been difficult, losing a child still hurts them tremendously. Jerry West said last month that Bryant’s parents were “traumatized and devastated.”
Bryant’s parents were at Monday’s memorial at Staples Center honoring Kobe and Gianna. During TNT’s postgame show Tuesday, Shaq shared that he sat next to Bryant’s parents at the ceremony. The Big Fella shouted them out with a very thoughtful message on TV.
“I want to shout out Kobe’s parents. I was sitting next to them, and of course I’ve known them for a while. I just want to send my condolences to them. They don’t really get mentioned a lot, but just want you to let you know if you ever need me, I’m always going to be there for you,” Shaq said.
BIG @SHAQ is an awesome dude giving Kobe’s parents, sisters, nieces and nephews a shootout on #InsideTheNBA @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/QAupwP0Uqs
— Eldridge Recasner (@erecasner) February 26, 2020
I was hoping to hear from Kobe’s parents… #KobeFarewell pic.twitter.com/vafZGxcXy9
— WonderCem (@LegendaryOneder) February 24, 2020
Shaq is exactly right — they don’t get mentioned much, but there is no doubt they and Kobe’s two sisters are hurting. The recognition from Shaq was thoughtful.
