CNN’s documentary about Kobe Bryant, “The Making of a Legend”, premiered over the weekend. PT. I of the three-part series showed the bond between Kobe and his dad Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant who was a basketball phenom in his own right.
Joe Bryant found success in the NBA, but it all came to a halt when he was pulled over one night with a woman in his car that wasn’t his wife Pam. Subsequently, Joe was shuffled from team to team before his NBA career ended. After taking a job a car dealership, Joe Bryant resurrected his career across seas in Italy. While in Italy, Kobe was a fixture at his dad’s games.
By the time he returned to the states, he was one to watch on the basketball circuit. Declaring for the NBA draft while just a senior in high school, Kobe was drafted by the Lakers where he would spend the duration of his career.