Vanessa Bryant Mourns Her Late Father-in-law, Joe Bryant Saying ‘Hoped things would’ve been different’

In her heartfelt post, Vanessa said;“Sending our condolences upon hearing the news of my father-in-law’s passing. We hoped things would’ve been different. Although the times we spent together were few, he was always sweet and nice to be around. Kobe loved him very much. Our prayers go out to family.”Vanessa’s tribute to Joe seemingly hinted at the fraught relationship between Kobe and his parents, which became strained during his Hall of Fame career with the Lakers.Kobe and Vanessa were married in 2001 without the approval of Joe and Kobe’s mom Pamela, who didn’t attend the wedding. In 2013, Kobe and his parents had another falling out after Pam attempted to auction off more than $1.5 million in memorabilia belonging to the Lakers star.Kobe, per The Sun, had tried to rebuild his relationship with his father and mother before tragically passing away in a helicopter accident with his daughter, Gigi Bryant, in California on Jan. 26, 2020.Joe, nicknamed “Jellybean” during his basketball playing days, was the 14th overall pick by the Warriors in the 1975 draft.His draft rights would be traded to his hometown 76ers less than four months later.