Kobe Bryant’s heartbroken parents Joe and Pamela spotted with his sister on first anniversary of chopper crash
Joe and Pamela Bryant, parents of NBA legend late Kobe Bryant, were seen together on the first anniversary of his death in a chopper crash that also claimed the life of their granddaughter Gianna and seven others. The grieving parents were spotted close to their Las Vegas residence having a low-key day while being accompanied by Sharia Washington, their eldest daughter.
According to The Sun, the group got some take out food at Café Zupas, before former NBA star Joe went to Target to pick up some household goods while Sharia and her mother headed to their local Petland store.
The heartbroken family spent their day out not far from a colorful Las Vegas mural memorial dedicated to 41-year-old Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. “It was good to see his mom, dad, and sister out together one year on from the tragedy," an onlooker who saw the family told The Sun. “Joe looks so like his son and Pamela was extremely dignified and elegant in a black dress. Just getting out with their daughter and doing ‘normal’ things is important, even for a family that was hit by something so terrible, somehow life has to go on.”
Joe and Pamela had a difficult relationship with Kobe during his adult life. However, the basketball superstar was trying to bring about a reconciliation and had been speaking to his father before his sudden demise. Members of Kobe Bryant's family tried to remain occupied over the anniversary of his death, according to The Sun. Jeremy Treatman, Kobe’s assistant coach in high school in Philadelphia, told the newspaper that for them, “every day is hard."
50-year-old Tony Altobelli, brother of college baseball coach John Altobelli, 56, who died in the helicopter crash with his daughter Alyssa, 13, and wife Keri, 46, also told The Sun how his 17-year-old niece Lexi was coping with her grief through “isolation and time alone."
According to the British newspaper, Kobe fell out with his parents after they did not approve of his relationship with Vanessa, who was just 18 when she married Kobe in 2001. It's worth noting how neither of Kobe's parents attended his wedding at St. Edward Roman Catholic Church in Dana Point, California. Family relations had visibly improved when Joe and Pamela were seen cheering for their son at the Lakers’ 2010 championship run, but in 2013, Kobe filed a lawsuit after his mom and dad tried to sell some of the Lakers' guard’s sports memorabilia to an auction house. At the time, Kobe reportedly argued that his parents had not taken his permission to sell the memorabilia and sued Goldin, the auction house that was involved.
Kobe Bryant eventually won the case and even received a public apology from his parents. “We apologize for any misunderstanding and unintended pain we have caused our son and appreciate the financial support he has provided over the years," the apology read in part.