Who Are Kobe Bryant's Sisters? Kobe's Estranged Siblings Feuding With Wife Vanessa Bryant
The feud is allegedly over his funeral.
Getty Images Kobe Bryant's death, needless to say, left the world as a whole reeling from the shock. But none, perhaps, were more shocked than Bryant's surviving family — which include, not only his mother and sisters, but his wife, Vanessa, and three of his four daughters.
As we all know, now, Bryant's second daughter, Gianna, died in the helicopter crash with him.
But as shocking as his death — and his daughter's death — were, and are, to his family, including Kobe's mom, Pam, and dad, Joe, perhaps nothing can be more shocking than the rumors that Bryant's wife, Vanessa, and his two estranged sisters are allegedly fighting.
So who are Kobe Bryant's sisters and why are they reportedly feuding with Kobe's wife, Vanessa Bryant? Let's look at what we know about these sad rumors.
1. Why are Kobe Bryant's sisters and wife reportedly feuding? It allegedly has to do with the funeral arrangements.
An anonymous user recently DMed an Instagram blog known for gossip, and that DM was subsequently posted to the site's Instagram Stories, revealing that reportedly, Vanessa Bryant and Kobe Bryant's two sisters were feuding because Vanessa Bryant chose to honor her late husband and late daughter with a church service, since the Bryants were devout Catholics. However, Bryant's sisters wanted the services to be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles because they wanted a public viewing. The Instagram Stories predicted, however, that there would be two services for the Bryants: one private at the church, and one public at the Staples Center.
2. Bryant's sisters released a statement one week after his death.
Sharia Washington and Shaya Tabb — Bryant's surviving sisters — released a statement about their brother's death one week after his tragic passing. "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 said in a joint statement, which Washington posted to her Instagram page. "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."
You can see the post below.
3. Was Bryant estranged from his sisters at the time of his death?
Back in 2016, Bryant penned an open essay called "Letter To My Younger Self" which implied he was estranged from Washington and Tabb. "Purely giving material things to your siblings and friends may appear to be the right decision. 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. 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," he wrote.
4. Both Washington and Tabb have their own lives.
Despite reportedly being estranged from Bryant, Washington and Tabb seem to have made their own way. Washington is married, has three children, and works as a trainer in Las Vegas, NV. Tabb, for her part, also has three children and works as the dining and events manager for ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
5. Washington doesn't seem to be estranged from Vanessa Bryant.
Despite the rumors that Washington and Tabb were estranged from their brother, Vanessa Bryant posted a video of Washington holding up baby Capri to her Instagram page three days ago. Vanessa Bryant also referred to Kobe Bryant's sister as "Aunt Ri-Ri" which suggests that they have somewhat of a relationship, if solely for the sake of the children.
6. Regardless of their alleged feud, they seem to be presenting a united front.
Whatever the truth of their alleged feud, it seems as though Vanessa Bryant — along with Sharia Washington and Shaya Tabb — seem to be presenting a united front to the public. That, perhaps, is what's most important in a time of tragedy such as this.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.