KOBE Bryant was trying to reconcile with his parents before his death, sources have revealed.
The basketball legend, 41, who died alongside daughter Gianna, 31 in a fiery helicopter crash on Sunday, had a publicly strained relationship with his mom Pamela and dad Joe during his adult life.
They initially fell out because Pamela and Joe didn't approve of his relationship with future wife Vanessa.
Things then came to a head in 2013 when Pamela and Joe attempted to sell Kobe's sports memorabilia to an auction house – prompting the NBA star to file a lawsuit.
Now sources say the families had been in contact again before his death – but Kobe, who leaves behind Vanessa and daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka Bella, three, and baby Capri, tragically died before having the chance to completely mend their relationship.
"Kobe and his parents endured tumultuous times and it impacted his family life," a family business associate told The Sun.
"He always chose Vanessa and his children first.
"It was no secret that there was a distance between Vanessa and his folks after a series of bust-ups when they were dating, including them missing his wedding.
"That tense dynamic really never altered and Kobe attempted some reconciliations, but then he had his own run-ins and disagreements with them.
"But after he quit basketball he did see his parents again. His kids were also spending periods of time with his father. That relationship was tricky, but they worked through it.
"Knowing Kobe and his heart, he was considering how to bring about a full scale reunion one day."
The source added that some of Kobe's basketball pals were now trying to bring the two families together in their grief.
"There are strides being made to bring the families together," the source added.
"When he was alive the depth of the issues between his parents was something that was kept very quiet by Kobe.
"But he was the lynchpin for any resolutions. And his ability to forgive and seek a reconciliation was fueled by his religious faith.
"But now he is now gone, some basketball long term associates of Kobe are gently trying to encourage peace between the families.
"They are both dealing with a deep seated sense of trauma and emotional fall out over his death.
"And genuinely trying to broach any full scale reunion is not a possibility, but there is a hope that they may heal together.
"Currently his parents are grieving deeply, but want to be there to support their grandchildren.
"In the short term there is hope that the problems can be set aside for this moment – longer term nothing can be considered. But this is all up to Vanessa – and Lord knows what she is going through."
Another source said: "Kobe's relationship with his parents has always been up and down.
"They fell out for a long time because they didn't approve of Vanessa, then reconciled around the time Gianna was born.
"Then the court case in 2013 really damaged their relationship.
"Kobe always wanted to mend things – he was a family guy and wanted nothing more than to have a big close family.
"Things had started to improve again around the time of Capri's birth and they were on speaking terms again.
"But unfortunately they never ended up getting as close as he would have liked before he died."
Pamela and Joe are not believed to have joined Kobe's wife Vanessa or her three daughters, since the crash happened.
Joe was spotted outside their home in Las Vegas on Wednesday – and Pamela has not been seen since Sunday when she told The Sun she was too upset to comment.
Their strained relationship spanned many years – with neither of Kobe's parents attending his wedding in 2001.
Kobe and his dad appeared to reconcile in 2005 but then things turned sour again in 2013, when they attempted to auction off memorabilia from their son's basketball career.
The Lakers star said he did not give them permission to sell the items and sued the auction house involved.
Kobe reached a settlement with the auction house and Joe and Pamela issued an apology thanking Kobe for his financial support.
In a 2016 interview, Kobe told ESPN: "Our relationship is s**t. I say 'I'm going to buy you a very nice home', and the response is 'That's not good enough'?
"Then you're selling my s**t?"
On Monday Kobe's brother-in-law Jerrod Washington, who is married to the basketball star's sister Sharia, told The Sun: "It's not a good time to talk right now.
"I'm with my wife and just want to make sure to take care of her right now."
A family friend who spoke outside Sharia's house in Las Vegas earlier told The Sun the Bryant family were "obviously heartbroken."
"There will not be any comments from the family right away," he said.
"At some point the family will be reaching out but right now we are all in shock.
"Right now they're just trying to be a family."
Kobe and Gianna died alongside college baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri, and their daughter Alyssa.
Coach Christina Mauser, Sarah Chester and her daughter and Payton, and pilot Ara Zobayan were also killed when the chopper smashed into a hill in Calabasas, California on Sunday morning.
The group had taken off from John Wayne Airport and were on their way to the NBA star's basketball academy in Thousand Oaks when they crashed.
Pilot Ara Zobayan was certified to fly in foggy weather and would have had the final say on whether to fly or not, the Federal Aviation Administration told The Sun.
The pilot was told he was told 'you're too low' before the aircraft slammed into the hill.
Audio between the pilot and air traffic control obtained by The Sun reveal that air traffic controllers were attempting to guide the helicopter, but lost contact moments before its fatal fall.
Questions remain about why the aircraft was flying when most helicopter traffic was grounded, including the LAPD's own fleet, due to the foggy conditions – but an investigation is underway.
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