What Was the Reason Why Kobe Bryant's Father Didn't Approve of His Marriage with Vanessa?

Gettyimages | Kevork Djansezian

Everyone remembers Kobe Bryant as a basketball legend. He was the star player for the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant, and seven other people died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. The world is still in mourning over their tragic death.

One thing that is so heartbreaking is how close Bryant and his family once were many years ago. His parents went to every one of his basketball games to cheer him on and encourage him to be all he could be.

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Once Bryant became a star basketball player and started earning a lot of money from his success, he did everything he could for his family. He even bought everyone new cars, including buying his father a BMW. They all lived in the same house together for three years after earning his newfound wealth. This was because he loved them all so much, he wanted to do whatever he could for them by taking care of them. However, his family decided he needed to live on his own and instead of telling him he had to get his own place, they got their own. They moved to a lot close to Kobe's house. Bryant wanted to have a gym built in between their homes. He said, "My family was always there for me. I love them for that."

Gettyimages | Harry How

His father was so proud of him for accomplishments and great success with basketball, that he couldn't say that the house they shared was his and Kobe was just living there with them. He said, "Don't write that he lived with us. It was his house. We lived with him."

Throughout all of this, he was growing up and becoming more successful. He was making his own decisions. He met his now-wife, Vanessa and after dating for about a year, he decided he would marry her. He loved her so much he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

Gettyimages | Stefanie Keenan

This was one decision that didn't go over very well with his family at all. They didn't approve and didn't even come to their wedding. Bryant said, "I think a lot of it is just natural. I'm sure it's tough on any parent when their child grows up and starts stepping into their own."

Bryant was 20 years old when he met Vanessa, his soon-to-be wife, and she was 17 at the time. He knew he wanted to be with her and when she turned 18, the couple got married.

Gettyimages | Harry How

He cherished his wife all throughout their marriage. He protected her all the time. He loved his parents too but knew that once he was married and they had their first child together, they were his number one priority from then on.

Vanessa and Kobe had four children together, all girls. Everyone knew Bryant was a dedicated family man and how much he loved his wife and daughters. Everyone supported him for it, except for one person who always mattered to him. His father didn't approve of his marriage to Vanessa. What was the heartbreaking reason for this though?

Gettyimages | Harry How

Not only did his parents not attend his wedding to Vanessa, but his father was so against their marriage that once Kobe's first daughter was born, his dad refused to meet her and never did. But why was he so against his son marrying Vanessa? The heartbreaking reason for his father not accepting who he was married to but also disowning him entirely by not speaking to him anymore because of it was because he didn't like the fact that Vanessa was Latina and not African American like they are. He always thought Kobe should marry within the same race as them.

Although this is the heartbreaking reason for him not accepting his son's happiness and marriage to a Latina, he never did admit this truth when asked. In fact, when he was asked about his reason for not being able to accept his son being happy with a woman of a different race than theirs, he wouldn't admit it and instead would say, "It’s his life, we’ve got nothing to do with it. We’ve done our job.”