Kobe Bryant opens up on strained relationship with his parents

    Kobe Bryant was drafted by the Lakers when he was 17. He used his new wealth to spoil his family and               friends, not let them grow.

Kobe Bryant's storied career has played out in front of Lakers fans and the country since he was 17 years old. However, Bryant wishes he took time to help his family and friends grow, not just shower them with gifts.

In a piece titled "Letter to My Younger Self" that was published on The Player's Tribune, Bryant touched on how spoiling his family and friends with gifts held them back and didn't allow them to grow as people.

"Purely giving material things to your siblings and friends may appear to be the right decision," Bryant 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?

According to Bryant, the indulgence resulted in years of "hurt and pain" and him having to cut back on splurging on those around him. It was a "selfish" need to please and feel appreciated that drove him to shower his family and friends with gifts, not the fact that those people were truly in need.

He also addressed his strained relationship with his parents, where he indicated he should have never given them a financial role in his career.

"Before you sign that first contract, figure out the right budget for your parents — one that will allow them to live beautifully while also growing your business and setting people up for long-term success," Bryant wrote. "That way, your children’s kids and their kids will be able to invest in their own futures when the time comes."

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Kyrie Irving hit up Kobe Bryant on FaceTime immediately after Finals win

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After winning his first, the Cavs guard called someone who did won five times.

Kobe Bryant may have retired at the end of the 2015-16 season, but he's still staying close to the game and its players. One of the players he's helping along is Cavs guard Kyrie Irving, who just came off of his first NBA Finals win.

In fact, right after he won the title, Irving got on FaceTime and contacted the Black Mamba. 

"I actually FaceTimed Kobe [Bryant] after the game as soon as I got in the locker room," Irving told The Post Game. "Other than seeing my dad and my sister right after we won, FaceTiming him was just a great thing, knowing how he has won five and I just won my first. Then realizing how hard it is just to win one, my respect for him is already high, but it went to another level knowing that he's got five of them. I'm trying to get a second one."

So what did they talk about?

"[Bryant] was telling me congrats," he said. "I had been speaking to him throughout the entire playoffs and during the season. During the Finals, we didn't really talk as much, because for me, I wanted to experience it full on, and if I needed his help, I would reach out to him. He would send me some texts here and there, but mainly he kind of let me be, and let me grow into my own space."

It's really cool to see Bryant taking a mentor role to players around the league. He texted with the Warriors' Draymond Green and said he'll help out the Spurs' Kawhi Leonard as well. Bryant had a "mentor relationship" with Michael Jordan, so he knows how important it is to have someone in your life who can help out.

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