Pam Bryant: All About Kobe Bryant's Mother! [2023 Update]

Every mother in the world wants to have a healthy relationship with her children. Unfortunately, some fail to keep their relationship intact as life is often ruthless. A similar thing happened with Pam Bryant, Kobe Bryant’s mother.

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

Although Pam always wanted good for her son, she somehow appeared arrogant every once in a while as she did things that disappointed her son. One most significant rift between them occurred in 2001 when she refused to let him marry the girl of his choice.

Since then, the mother and son often kept reconciling and fighting 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 back in the late 1900s. She also had a brother who played in the NBA.

Talking more of Pam, she has two other children apart from Kobe. Her two daughters are pursuing careers in different fields of work and doing quite well. So, learning all this, Pam is a very successful mother.

Now, let’s learn more about Pam Bryant’s exciting life, her relationship with her family, and almost everything concerning her in the article below. Starting with some quick facts first.

Quick Facts

Pam Bryant | Early Life, Family & Education

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

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

She is an aunt to John Arthur Cox IV, Chubby’s son, an American professional basketball player.

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

Her father, Arthur Cox II, was in army service and mainly worked as a firefighter for the Philadelphia Fire Department. So, Pam had a decent childhood as she got everything she demanded from her parents. Her mother, Mildred, was a housewife.

Pam married a professional basketball player named Joseph Washington Bryant just after a few years of her high school graduation. There is no information about whether Pam attended college for higher education.

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

Pam Bryant | Marrying Joe Bryant

Pam Cox began getting along with Joe Bryant in 1974 when Joe was playing college basketball for the La Salle Explorers. He was born and raised in Philadelphia like Pam herself, but they did not know each other well until they graduated their high school.

However, he often saw her when she visited the suburb he lived as her grandmother used to reside there. They got introduced to each other a little later, but Joe initially refrained from proposing to her.

He had liked her since he first saw her and told all his friends that he would marry her someday.

But, at that time, he had not yet begun his professional career, so he waited until he made it to the NBA. Pam and Joe dated for seven months before they eventually married in 1975.

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

Pam has always remained supportive of her husband and has even lived in France and Italy during Joe’s career in Europe.

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Pam Bryant | Joe’s Life & Career

Bryant (October 19, 1954) had been fond of basketball and played the sport throughout his high school for the John Bartram High School.

Joe later attended La Salle University in Philadelphia and played for two seasons of college. He was the Explorers’ leading scorer and rebounder, because of which he won several honors during his college years.

After forgoing the last two college seasons, he stepped into the NBA League with the Golden State Warriors in 1975. Bryant played for around seven years in the NBA until 1982, after which he went to Europe to appear in the Italian and French Basketball leagues.

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

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

Who are Pam Bryant’s Children?

Pam gave birth to three kids, two daughters and a son, with Joe Bryant. Her elder daughter, Sharia Daniella Bryant, was born on March 19, 1976. Similarly, the couple was gifted with their second daughter on July 30, 1977.

They named their second daughter Shaya Bryant. Lastly, their son, Kobe Bryant, was born on August 23, 1978. So, all their children were born one year apart.

After graduating from Lower Merion High School, Sharia attended Temple University, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and International Business in 1998.

She is married to an American businessman Jerrod Washington with whom she has two daughters and a son. Besides being a mother, Sharia has proved herself as a successful businesswoman.

Along with her husband, she co-owns a company named Brandyay and works as the director of sales and partnerships at SUN50.

Pam’s second daughter, Shaya Bryant, graduated with a degree in International Business. Besides studies, she was an excellent volleyball player like her elder 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 mainly works as a restaurant dining and event manager. 

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

Kobe Bryant’s Life & 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 America, Kobe moved to Italy when he was six years old, along with all his family members.

While his father played in the Italian professional basketball club, young Kobe often went to watch his father play. Although he had already started playing basketball by age three, he was good at football while living in Italy, where football was most popular.

However, his love for basketball had not reduced even a bit. His maternal grandfather, Arthur Cox II, often sent him NBA game tapes that he enjoyed watching.

After returning to the USA in the early 1990s, Kobe played basketball for the Lower Merion High School team and quickly became famous as a shooting guard. He directly went for the NBA draft skipping his college.

Although the Charlotte Hornets had picked him in the draft, he played for the Los Angeles Lakers for all of his playing career. He retired as a Lakers legend, winning five NBA championship rings in 2016.

In addition, he was an eighteen-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP as well. Because of his accomplishments, basketball fans all around the globe consider him one of the greatest players of all time.

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Kobe’s Untimely Demise

Pam can never forget the day of January 26, 2020, on which her beloved son and granddaughter lost their lives in a helicopter accident. Kobe was on a flight to Ventura County, California, to attend a basketball match.

Sadly, the helicopter crash-landed into the mountains at Calabasas, where around thirteen people, including Kobe and his daughter, died. According to the LA Police, the weather was foggy, so visibility was very low.

Nine people died immediately on the accident spot, while four died later while getting treatment in a hospital in LA Angeles.

Upon knowing the news, Pam went numb, and she could not get outside her residence for many days. Their neighbors informed the media that the information had devasted his parents, and they could not face the public.

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

Pam Bryant’s Relationship with Kobe

In 2001, when Kobe had introduced Vanessa Cornejo Bryant to his mother, saying that he would marry her, Pam spoke against it.

She had thought that they were still very young to get married, and above all, she was not from their community. However, Kobe eventually married her, and Pam somehow softened after the birth of their 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-based auction house named Goldin Auction had already paid her some amount in advance, but the items, at last, remained unsold as Kobe filed a lawsuit and took away his belongings.

Pam and her husband later apologized for their mistake. Still, they often spoke well of one another whenever the media interrogated about domestic matters.

However, everyone knows that Pam and Joe had not attended their son’s last NBA match in 2016. In addition, they were not present when the LA Lakers retired the jersey numbers (8 and 24) he wore in the NBA.

So, only they know for sure how good their bond was at the end of Kobe’s life, but some incidents have left some doubtful points for people to gossip about.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Pamela Bryant still alive?

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

What is the net worth of Pam Bryant?

Pam Bryant has a net worth somewhere between $1 million to $5 million. However, some websites on the Internet mention it to be around $2 million specifically.

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