Joe Bryant and his wife Pamela sold Kobe’s memorabilia without his knowledge or consent

Joe, who died at the age of 69, struggled to mend their differences by the time of Kobe’s untimely passing in a helicopter crash in January 2020.

Kobe Bryant with his father, Joe, during a LA Lakers playoff game in 2010Credit: Getty

A mural of a young Kobe and his father, Joe, in Reggio Emilia, ItalyCredit: AFP
The 6-foot-9 forward was nicknamed ‘Jellybean’ because of his sweet tooth.

The name was passed on to Kobe, whose middle name was ‘Bean.’

The pair had been close for many years, but their relationship became strained once the Lakers legend found fame and fortune in the NBA.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the fallout between the pair dates back to his relationship with eventual wife Vanessa.

Joe and his wife Pamela did not approve of Vanessa because she was from the Latino community and was not African-American, Kobe once revealed.

Notably, neither Joe nor his wife Pamela attended the couple’s wedding in April 2001.

They appeared to patch things up when Joe was hired to coach the WNBA’s LA Sparks in 2005.

Joe also celebrated with Kobe when the Lakers won the NBA title in 2010.

In an interview for the LA Times in July 2011, Joe indicated his relationship with his son was “pretty good.”

However, their relationship took a major turn for the worse when Joe and Pamela attempted to auction off a large memorabilia

collection from Kobe’s career that he had gifted them without his knowledge.

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Kobe told ESPN in 2016, “Our relationship is s**t.

“I say, ‘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?”

Kobe’s parents issued a humbling public apology to try to resolve the matter.

“We regret our actions and statements related to the Kobe Bryant auction memorabilia,” they said.

“We apologize for any misunderstanding and unintended pain we have caused our son and appreciate the financial support he has provided over the years.”

Kobe had a massive falling-out with his parents, Joe and PamelaCredit: Getty

Joe and Pamela were noticeably absent during their Kobe’s final NBA game in April 2016.

That year, Kobe participated in a Players’ Tribune feature where he wrote a letter to his younger self.

“The next time I write to you, I may touch on the challenges of mixing blood with business,” he wrote.

“The most important advice I can give to you is to make sure your parents remain PARENTS and not managers.”

Despite their differences, the couple were said to be crushed by Kobe’s tragic death in 2020.

A neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous, revealed their lives had been turned “upside down.”

“I talked to them twice yesterday and took over food and a card, and briefly today. They are just devastated, as you can imagine,” the neighbor said.

“It’s a private, awful moment, losing their son and granddaughter; it’s just horrific.

“I was talking to Joe briefly the day before, we were out for a walk, it was all happy and good and talking about the gorgeous weather, and then it switched in 24 hours where their lives were turned upside down.”