Kobe Bryant explains why he hasn’t spoken to his parents in 3 years

Kobe Bryant who played his last NBA game last weekend revealed on ESPN.com that he hadn't spoken to his parents in the last three years.
He said the reason he stopped speaking with them and helping them out was because they auctioned off his High school memorabilia without his consent. He said:

“Our relationship is shit,”. “I say to them, ‘I’m going to buy you a very nice home, and the response is ‘That’s not good enough’?” “Then you’re selling my shit?”

After his parents' lawyers worked out a settlement allowing them to auction six items of Kobe's memorabilia totaling $500,000 in 2013,  his parents issued a statement which read:

“We regret our actions and statements related to the Kobe Bryant auction memorabilia,” the statement from Joe and Pamela Bryant read. “We apologize for any misunderstanding and unintended pain we may have caused our son and appreciate the financial support that he has provided to us over the years.”

Kobe who has two sisters said that he has also stopped supporting his sisters because they are smart college educated women who have their own careers and can support themselves.

Before the incident with his parents, Kobe financially supported his parents and sisters and his wife-Vanessa's family. Even though he has stopped supporting his family financially, he is still supporting Vanessa's parents.
Kobe also mentioned that his father's failure as an NBA player was what motivated him to be a successful NBA player.

He said his father, Joe Bryant was a 6-foot-9 forward with the skill set of a guard that would have made him successful in today’s NBA, but in the Eastern Conference of the late 1970s, he was miscast as a defensive specialist.
According to Joe Bryant himself, his whole career would’ve been different if he’d been in a different system and had been able to play on the perimeter like Magic Johnson.
Kobe said:

“When I hear those things, I don’t really understand them.”

Why should the whims of fate, which system he played in,  determine the success of a man’s career?

And he didn't understand how his father accepted that and failed to be successful.
In Kobe’s mind, he could never accept disappointment on the court like his father did. He couldn’t. Not if he wanted to be a legend, so his father's failure drove him to be a successful NBA player, the Legend he has become today.



Source: ESPN.com

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International breweries foundation set to unveil successful winners of the kickstart initiative

The “KickStart“ event that started with so much pump and pageantry at the official launch and unveil in Ibadan on the 5th of August,2015 is to its end of Season 1. The journey has been awesome. 25 lucky winners will on the 21st of April be awarded grants that will ultimately kick start their dreams and change their lives. The event will take place at the prestigious Zenababs Half Moon Resort, Event Centre in the heart of the culture rich city of Ilesha in Osun State.


Call for entries and applications where open from the 6th of August to applicants in the South West geopolitical zones and it lasted for 1 months in order to encourage participation and show transparency. 120 lucky applicants where then selected by credible Business Gurus from a poll of over 3,000 entries to be screened and trained properly on the requirements of the project and how to be an entrepreneur. This selection process was rigorous, and in order to deliver on the promise of International Breweries Foundation, to  the teeming Nigerian youths for them to realise their career dreams and further reduce undergraduate unemployment the organizers had to create a boot camp look and feel where the 120 applicants would be housed and drilled.

This event was at a beautiful prime location called the Royal Park Golf Hotel, Ilesha, in Osun State and For 5 days (Dec. 7 – Dec. 12) the 100 applicants (that turned up) were schooled both orally, physically and mentally on the rudiments of entrepreneurship by a team of professionals. After the boot camp, applicants where directed to prepare and submit their proposals for consideration within 3 weeks of the close of camp, this was in line with requirements of the selection process. 50 out of the 100 applicant’s proposal were picked by a panel of judges who went through every proposal with a fine tooth comb to ensure compliance to the rules and requirements of the project. And this gave way for the final process: the Proposal Presentation and Defence, by the applicants to the panel of judges. After 3 days of gruesome evaluation, and consideration, the lucky finalist of 25 where carefully handpicked to be awarded and given grants to “KickStart” their dreams. 

The awards ceremony will be attended by the Crème of the society, Government dignitaries, Representatives of the Corporate Industry,  members of the Royal Council, staff members of International Breweries PLC, the Media  and the 100 applicants that turned up for training  and selection process. The awards promises to be the climax of the project were our lucky 25 will be unveiled to the entire world.  

Re-caps of the project will be seen, the processes, evaluations, and finally...the decision. Our successful applicants are shown and presented with the awards and grants. We share in the afterglow, the elations and the disappointments for others. And sharing a DREAM COME true for those who have succeeded.

Next step...! Our winners will be intimated on what is required of them during the mentoring stage, which will be a period of follow up and guidance. International Breweries PLC don’t just want to give these grants, but want a situation of mentoring so that the successful applicants can keep to the requirements of the project which is to build, sustain and grow. This is the period where we now see our applicants take their leap of faith; a “KickStart DREAM” is realized.

Pictures below...

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