Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia,[14] the youngest of three children and the only son of Pamela Cox Bryant and former NBA player Joe Bryant. He was also the maternal nephew of NBA player John "Chubby" Cox.[15] His parents named him after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan, which they saw on a restaurant menu.[16][17] His middle name, Bean, was derived from his father's nickname "Jellybean".[18] Bryant's family was Catholic, and he was brought up with this faith.