Kobe Bryant's Sister Shares Rarely-Seen Childhood Christmas Photos — See the NBA Star as a Baby

Late basketball legend Kobe Bryant's sister Sharia Washington shared a rare Christmas photo from their childhood days to wish her fans a Merry Christmas on Instagram. Young Mamba is so cute!

The Bryant family celebrated their first Christmas without their patriarch Kobe Bryant this year. His wife Vanessa enjoyed a skiing trip with their daughters and friend, Ciara, over the holidays.

Meanwhile, Kobe's sister Sharia Washington was missing her brother amid the festivities. She took to Instagram to share a couple of sweet snaps from a Christmas day they celebrated as kids.

SWEET MEMORIES

In one of the snaps, Sharia and her sister, Shaya Tabb, sat on Santa's lap as they posed for the photograph. In between the sisters was little Kobe, who had a look of wonder on his face.

Kobe was proud of his sisters because they could look out for themselves without having to rely on him.

It is always a delight to see Kobe's rarely seen photos, especially when they are from his childhood days. His fans bombarded the comments section with messages of thanks to Sharia for sharing a part of his life with them.

When Kobe died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, most of the tributes were dedicated to his wife and daughters, Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.

SHARIA WAS CLOSE TO KOBE

But what many of his fans might not know is that the basketball legend shared a sweet bond with his sisters, too. The siblings, who were three years apart, spent their early years in Italy.

In 2013, Sharia sided with Kobe in a legal battle involving their parents. Kobe was upset that his mother had allegedly sold over 100 pieces of memorabilia to an auction house without letting him know.

Sharia backed up his claims, claiming she often heard their mother talk about how the family could make money by selling items associated with her famous son.

She supported the lawsuit to block the sale of his possessions without his permission. She even removed collectibles from her own house since her mother had access to her garage.

KOBE WAS PROUD OF HIS SISTERS

Kobe was proud of his sisters because they could look out for themselves without having to rely on him. In 2016, he confessed that he no longer supported them financially and that only made their bond stronger.

The basketball star did not want to hold back his siblings. He believed that adding material things to their life would subtract the most important thing, i.e. growth and independence.