Prior to his tragic death, Kobe Bryant had cut off his sisters Sharia Washington and Shaya Tabb financially, but still remained close to them emotionally. According to Heavy, Bryant explained the logic behind removing his fiscal responsibility to his sisters sharing how “they’re very smart, college-educated [women]” and was “really proud of them.”
“They were able to get their own jobs, get their own lives, take care of themselves. Now they have a better sense of self, of who they are as people, instead of being resentful because they were relying on me,” he admitted.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Additionally, in 2016, Bryant wrote an essay for The Player’s Tribune, titled “Letter to My Younger Self,” and elaborated on his relationship with Washington and Tabb.
“Purely giving material things to your siblings and friends may appear to be the right decision,” he wrote. “You love them, and they were always there for you growing up, so it’s only right that they should share in your success and all that comes with it. So you buy them a car, a big house, pay all of their bills. You want them to live a beautiful, comfortable life, right?”
Bryant added: “But the day will come when you realize that as much as you believed you were doing the right thing, you were actually holding them back… Understand that you are about to be the leader of the family, and this involves making tough choices, even if your siblings and friends do not understand them at the time. Invest in their future, don’t just give.”
On Jan. 26, Bryant died in a tragic helicopter crash that also claimed the life of his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, as well as seven other individuals.
In their first comments following the death of their brother, Washington and Tabb issued a joint statement to NewsOne, saying, “On behalf of our family, we join Vanessa, Natalia, Bianka and Capri in grieving the loss of Kobe and Gianna in such a tragic accident.”
They added: “We are devastated by the loss of our brother, son, our niece and granddaughter, and our hearts go out to all the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday. Our lives are forever changed. Thank you for your prayers, the numerous calls, texts, emails and cards.”
Bryant was only 41 years old at the time of his death. The crash has been ruled an accident by the coroners office.
