The Kobe Bryant Celebration of Life may be over, but the social media tributes are showing no signs of slowing down. Hours after the Celebration concluded on Monday, former Los Angeles Lakers coach Byron Scott shared a photo of himself along with Joe “Jelly Bean” Bryant, the father of the late Kobe Bryant and a former NBA player himself. Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter were among the nine victims of a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California last month.
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“My prayers and condolences are with you and your family Joe,” Scott wrote in the caption.
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As expected, the comments were soon overflowing with heavy-hearted fans, many of them pointing out how Joe, and his wife, Pam Bryant, were largely left out of the Celebration of Life on Monday, despite them both being in attendance.
“Byron, words can’t express the appreciation I saw that Kobe had for you,” wrote one person. “Keep being you, Brother.”
“Throughout the ceremony, they were only acknowledged a couple of times,” wrote another. “It’s almost like people forgot that he had parents and sisters… I got love for ALL of the Bryant’s just like you do, my brotha.”
“Am so happy someone reached out to Kobe’s mom and dad it sad no one gave their condolences to his mom, not one even after walking off stage no one hugged his mom and dad it was like they [weren’t] even there,” chimed in a third.
While Joe Bryant didn’t speak at the ceremony, he did address the loss of his son, and how he forged his own career as a second-generation NBA player.
“As parents, we try to give our kids advice just to stay focused, work hard and those types of things that you been through,” Bryant said on the Scoop B Radio podcast. “So, that’s the advantage.”
While they appeared to be overlooked by the Celebration of Life, Snoop Dogg took to Instagram to post his own commemoration of Bryant’s parents.
“Sending love and prayers to momma and Poppa Bean Bryant,” he wrote in the caption. “Thank u for giving us Kobe we love y’all and praying for your strength as parents to keep moving on from the Broadus family.”
Kobe Bryant, along with his daughter Gianna, were among the nine victims of a tragic helicopter crash. While engine failure has been ruled out, the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
