Alright, picture this: it’s Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, your Indiana Pacers are battling the New York Knicks, trying to close out the series and punch their ticket to the NBA Finals, and you see a guy named Bryant out there for the Pacers, hitting a big corner three, grabbing boards, and bringing some serious energy off the bench. You can’t help but think to yourself, “Wait a minute… Bryant? That Bryant?”

Especially when he’s making plays in a high-pressure playoff game, that legendary last name just hits different. So, with Thomas Bryant getting crucial minutes for the Pacers, a whole lot of fans are definitely asking: is he actually related to the one and only Kobe Bryant? Let’s get into it and set the record straight.

What is the relation between Pacers star Thomas Bryant and Kobe Bryant?

So, here’s the straight-up answer to the big question: No, Thomas Bryant is not directly related to the late, great Kobe Bryant. While they both share that iconic last name and a love for the game of basketball, there’s no blood ties there.

Thomas is carving out his own path in the league, and the shared surname with the Lakers legend is just one of those cool coincidences that happen in the sports world. Kobe, as we all know, was a once-in-a-generation talent, and Thomas Bryant is cooking up a storm in his own right. But no, they don’t come from the same family tree.

Did Thomas Bryant and Kobe Bryant ever play for the same team in the NBA? 

Okay, this one’s a little tricky, so let’s break it down. Did they ever actually share a Lakers locker room, suit up together, and battle on the court as teammates? Nope, that never happened. Kobe, a true Laker for life, literally played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, wrapping it up in 2016 with that unforgettable 60-point mic drop in his final game. Thomas Bryant, on the other hand, came into the league a bit later as he was only drafted in 2017.

However, and this is where it gets interesting for Lakers fans, Thomas Bryant has actually rocked the famous purple and gold! He had a stint with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-23 season. And he wasn’t just some end-of-bench guy either. He played in 41 games and even started 25 of them that year. And honestly that’s when people started seeing some real flashes of what he could do.

But as we all know, basketball (especially the NBA) is a business, and in February 2023, the Lakers decided to make a move, trading Thomas Bryant to the Denver Nuggets. So, yeah, they both repped the Lakers, but their time in LA just didn’t overlap. It’s giving “missed connection,” for sure.

Who are Thomas Bryant’s parents? 

Now, this is where Thomas Bryant’s own basketball story gets really, really cool, because even if he’s not related to Kobe, hooping definitely runs deep in his family! His parents, Edward and Linda Bryant, were both college basketball players themselves. So, while he might not have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he was absolutely born with some serious basketball DNA. How cool is that?!

His mom, Linda Bryant, sounds like the absolute rock of his story. She balled out in college but didn’t go pro. After she and Edward separated, Linda was a superwoman, working two jobs to support the family, all while making sure Thomas had everything he needed to chase his NBA dreams. She was the one in the gym with him, at all his games, his number one supporter from day one. Thomas himself has proudly said he’s a total “mama’s boy,” and when you see the heart and hustle he plays with, you can totally see the impact of her hard work and sacrifice. She didn’t just raise a basketball player, she raised a grinder, a fighter. Period.

And you see that fire, that “grinder” mentality Linda clearly instilled, every time Thomas Bryant steps on the court for the Pacers in these playoffs. He’s not always the guy with the flashiest stats, but he’s out there making those crucial, high-energy plays that can swing a game. Remember back in Game 3 against these same Knicks? He was out there hitting timely threes, and he even had a huge steal in the fourth quarter. It’s silent ambition to do whatever it takes, that makes him such a valuable piece for Indiana.

His dad, Edward Bryant, also had game. He played at the college level too. He was the one who first lit that basketball fire in young Thomas. He took him to see the Harlem Globetrotters which got young Thomas all hyped about the sport. He planted that early seed. Even though Edward moved to another state after he and Linda split and wasn’t there for all the day-to-day grind of AAU and endless workouts, that initial passion for the game clearly came from both his parents. He got that early blueprint from his dad.

So, when you saw Thomas Bryant out there on the court for the Pacers in that series-clinching Game 6 – where they beat the Knicks 125-108 to advance to the NBA Finals! – and he was chipping in with 11 crucial points in just 12 minutes, hitting both of his three-pointers, setting hard screens, crashing the glass, and bringing that infectious energy, you weren’t just watching some random player. You were seeing a dude whose love for basketball was practically in his DNA, someone who earned his spot every step of the way. He’s fueled every single night by that deep passion for the game.

The best part of it all is that these were instilled in him by two parents who knew what it meant to compete. It’s a whole vibe, and we’re definitely here for it as he and the Pacers get ready for the Finals!