The late Kobe Bryant was an unhappy man despite the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Championship in 2001.
The win was a testament to all the changes the side rung starting with acquiring Shaquille O’Neal, followed by hiring Phil Jackson as their head coach. And while it didn’t yield good results immediately, the years that followed saw things go their way.
O’Neal and Bryant combined to become a sizzling duo decimating teams with consummate ease and went on to win a string of titles. They won three championships together from 2000-2002.
They took down the Philadelphia 76ers in five games in 2001 to win the title, but despite winning his second in a row, Bryant was not in good spirits as he was seen crying in the shower with the trophy. And those who thought it was out of sheer joy were far away from the truth.
Kobe Bryant’s Parents Weren’t In Attendance For Any Of The NBA Finals Games In 2001
It wasn’t a good time in the Bryant household leading up to the finals. Kobe Byrant’s father, Joe wasn’t too happy about his son getting engaged to Vannessa Laine as she was a Latina.
The relationship between the two soured when the Lakers’ legend stood firm on his stance to stay with Vanessa, and his parents didn’t attend any of the NBA Finals Games that season, shattering Bryant.
That’s not to say he never enjoyed a good bond with his father. The guard had once revealed the secret behind his confidence, and much of it came from his dad, who was an NBA star himself. And the moment came when he was just 10 and was coming off a forgettable summer tournament scoring zero points.
Here I come playing, and I don’t score one point the entire summer. Not one. (I was) 10,11. I was in the game… Because I was terrible! I remember crying about it and being upset about and my father just gave me a hug and said ‘listen, whether you score 0 or you score 60, I’m gonna love you no matter what’. Now that is the most important thing that you can say to a child. Because from there I was like ‘Okay, that gives me all the confidence in the world to fail’. I have the security there. But, to hell with that, I’m scoring 60!”
Safe to say, the confidence never wavered till his last day on the hardwood as he became one of the undisputed stars for the next couple of decades.
He may have had a tumultuous time after the 2001 championship win, but there’s no denying that his father was a massive influence in his life.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
