Pam Bryant: All About Kobe Bryant's Mom! [2023 Update] - Player Biographies (2023)

All mothers in the world want to have a healthy relationship with their children. Unfortunately, some are unable to keep their relationship intact as life is often unforgiving. Something similar happened to Pam Bryant, mother of Kobe Bryant.

Pamela Bryant, commonly known as Pam Bryant, is an American socialite who gave birth to and raised a famous NBA star,Kobe Bryant.

Although Pam always wanted the best for her son, she would occasionally be arrogant when she did things that disappointed her son. A more significant break between them occurred in 2001 when she refused to let him marry the girl of her choice.

Since then, mother and son often made up and fought until Kobe died in an unfortunate accident in 2020.

Pam never pursued a professional basketball career, but the sport has remained very close to her. Besides her son, her husband,joe bryant, played professional basketball in the late 1900s. He also had a brother who played in the NBA.

Talking more about Pam, she has two other children besides Kobe. Both of her daughters are pursuing careers in different fields of work and are doing very well. So by learning all of this, Pam is a very successful mother.

Now, let's learn more about the exciting life of Pam Bryant, her relationship with her family, and just about everything about her in the following article. Getting started with some quick facts first.

Fast facts

pam bryant | Early life, family and education.

Pamela Cox Bryant, Pam Bryant was born on March 26, 1954 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. She was the eldest daughter of Pennsylvania natives John Arthur Cox II and Mildred Williams.

Pam had a younger brother named John Arthur Cox III, born December 29, 1955. John III later played briefly in the NBA and was known primarily as "Chubby Cox".

She is the aunt of John Arthur Cox IV, son of Chubby, an American professional basketball player.

Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Pam attended Roxborough High School in Philadelphia, graduating in the early 1970s.

His father, Arthur Cox II, was in the military, working primarily as a firefighter for the Philadelphia Fire Department. So, Pam had a decent childhood as she got everything she needed from her parents. Her mother, Mildred, was a housewife.

Pam married a professional basketball player named Joseph Washington Bryant shortly after graduating from high school. There is no information on whether Pam attended college for higher education.

His father, John Arthur Cox III, died a retired lieutenant on September 28, 2001 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at age 68.

Pam Bryant | Marry Joe Bryant

Pam Cox began getting along with Joe Bryant in 1974 when Joe was playing college basketball for the La Salle Explorers. She was born and raised in Philadelphia like Pam herself, but they didn't get to know each other well until they finished high school.

However, he would often see her when he visited the suburb she lived in, since his grandmother lived there. They introduced themselves to each other a bit later, but Joe initially held back from proposing to her.

He liked her from the first time he saw her and told all his friends that one day he would marry her.

But at that time he had not yet started his professional career, so he waited until he reached the NBA. Pam and Joe dated for seven months before getting married in 1975.

Their relationship is genuinely so strong that even after 47 years of marriage, they continue to live together in their Las Vegas, Nevada residence to this day.

Pam was always supportive of her husband and even lived in France and Italy during Joe's career in Europe.

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pam bryant | Joe's life and career

Bryant (born October 19, 1954) enjoyed basketball and played the sport during high school at John Bartram High School.

Joe later attended La Salle University in Philadelphia and played for two varsity seasons. He was the leading scorer and rebounder for the Explorers, earning several honors during his college years.

After giving up the last two seasons of college, he entered the NBA league with the Golden State Warriors in 1975. Bryant played for about seven years in the NBA until 1982, after which he went to Europe to play in the Italian and French basketball leagues. .

He eventually retired from his playing career in 1992 and returned to Pennsylvania. In addition, he coached several college teams and professional league clubs, including his former college team the La Salle Explorers.

Joe Bryant retired from a coaching career in 2015. During his retirement, he was with the Japanese BJ League club Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka.

Who are the children of Pam Bryant?

Pam gave birth to three children, two girls and a boy, with Joe Bryant. Her eldest daughter, Sharia Daniella Bryant, was born on March 19, 1976. The couple also gave their second daughter as a gift on July 30, 1977.

They named their second daughter Shaya Bryant. Lastly, her son Kobe Bryant was born on August 23, 1978. Therefore, all of her children were born within a year of each other.

After graduating from Lower Merion High School, Sharia attended Temple University where he received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and International Business in 1998.

She is married to American businessman Jerrod Washington, with whom she has two daughters and a son. In addition to being a mother, Sharia has proven to be a successful businesswoman.

Together with her husband, she co-owns a company called Brandyay and works as the Director of Sales and Partnerships at SUN50.

Pam's second daughter, Shaya Bryant, majored in International Business. In addition to her studies, she was an excellent volleyball player just like her older sister.

Shaya is married to Michael Tabb and has two sons and a daughter. She currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, close to her other family members and works primarily as a restaurant and event manager.

However, Kobe was the most successful and popular among all his children.

Kobe Bryant life and career

A famous NBA star, Kobe Bryant, was born to Pam Bryant and Joe Bryant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After spending some of his early years in the United States, Kobe moved to Italy when he was six years old, along with all of his family members.

While his father was playing in the Italian professional basketball club, young Kobe used to watch his father play. Although he had already started playing basketball at the age of three, he was good at soccer while living in Italy, where soccer was more popular.

However, his love for basketball has not diminished one iota. Her maternal grandfather, Arthur Cox II, used to send her tapes of the NBA games he enjoyed watching.

After returning to the US in the early 1990s, Kobe played basketball at Lower Merion High School and quickly made a name for himself as a shooting guard. He went straight to the NBA draft skipping college.

Although drafted by the Charlotte Hornets, he played for the Los Angeles Lakers throughout his playing career. He retired as a Lakers legend, winning five NBA championship rings in 2016.

Additionally, he was an eighteen-time NBA All-Star and a two-time NBA Finals MVP as well. Due to his achievements, basketball fans around the world consider him one of the greatest players of all time.

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Kobe's untimely death

Pam will never be able to forget January 26, 2020, when her beloved son and granddaughter lost their lives in a helicopter crash. Kobe was on a flight to Ventura County, California to watch a basketball game.

Unfortunately, the helicopter crashed in the Calabasas mountains, killing approximately thirteen people, including Kobe and his daughter. According to LAPD, the weather was cloudy so visibility was very low.

Nine people died immediately at the crash site, while four died later while receiving treatment at a Los Angeles hospital.

Upon hearing the news, Pam became numb and was unable to leave her residence for several days. Her neighbors informed the media that the information had devastated her parents and they could not face the public.

However, they attended the public memorial service held on February 24, 2020 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Pam was still in shock that she couldn't speak at that event.

Pam Bryant's relationship with Kobe

In 2001, when Kobe introducedvanessa cornejo bryantto her mother, telling her that she would marry her, Pam spoke out against it.

She thought that they were still too young to get married and, above all, that she was not from their community. However, Kobe ended up marrying her and Pam somewhat softened after the birth of her first granddaughter.natalia, in 2003.

Similarly, Pam angered her son in 2013 when she decided to sell his sports memorabilia without consulting him.

The New Jersey auction house, Goldin Auction, had already paid him a certain amount upfront, but the items ultimately failed to sell when Kobe sued and took his belongings.

Pam and her husband later apologized for their mistake. Still, they used to speak highly of each other whenever the media questioned them on domestic issues.

However, everyone knows that Pam and Joe did not attend their son's last NBA game in 2016. They were also not present when the LA Lakers retired the jersey numbers (8 and 24) they wore in the NBA.

So only they know for sure how good their bond was toward the end of Kobe's life, but some incidents left some iffy places for people to gossip about.

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frequent questions

Is Pamela Bryant still alive?

Yes, Pamela "Pam" Bryant is still alive. Some people mistake her for Pamela Jean Bryant, also known as Pamela Bryant, a famous American model and actress who died on December 4, 2010.

What is Pam Bryant's net worth?

Pam Bryant has a net worth between $1 million and $5 million. However, some sites on the Internet specifically mention around $2 million.