Dr. Umar Drops Ridiculous Accusations About Vanessa Bryant

Baby2Baby Gala, Arrivals, Los Angeles, USA - 10 Nov 2018

Source: Variety / Getty / Vanessa Bryant

Joe Budden’s interview with the Pan African Avenger Dr. Umar Johnson continues to be the gift that keeps giving. Johnson is now under fire for saying something very ridiculous about Vanessa Bryant. Dr. Umar had the internet talking about his unnecessary sitdown with The Joe Budden Podcast for saying Eminem is not a Hip-Hop GOAT and for putting pressure on Budden’s co-host Ish for his relationship with a white woman. When it comes to Johnson, you can always count on him to say some completely outrageous nonsense if he’s given enough time to talk, and that was the case when Vanessa Bryant’s name came up. The wife of the late Kobe Bryant has seen nothing but support following the tragic deaths of her husband and daughter, Gigi, but that didn’t stop the hater swirling to come for her with some completely unfounded accusations. In the clip that has gone viral on X, formerly Twitter, Johnson accused Vanessa Bryant, who is of Mexican descent, of not using her husband’s money to help the Black community. Johnson claims she “inherited [Kobe Bryant’s] wealth, and guess what? Is Vanessa Bryant using any of that Black man’s money to do any good in the Black community? Absolutely f****** not.” When challenged on his claim, he responded, “She’s a public figure… I do know, and I’m telling you now. Vanessa Bryant just started an initiative with three predominantly white colleges, some sort of a sports initiative with Kobe’s money and Kobe’s name.” He continued, “Didn’t choose a single HBCU [historically Black colleges and universities] with a Black man’s money.”

Is Dr. Umar Correct?

Of course, he isn’t. Vanessa Bryant and her late husband founded the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Foundation in 2007, and one of its missions is to provide scholarships to minority college students and other youth globally. It has since been changed to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation to honor Bryant and his daughter. The JBP pushed back again on Johnson’s claims, adding there are notable Black celebrities who don’t give back to the Black community, and as expected, the man full of hot air had a response for that. “There’s a difference, and you know what the difference is? If I marry a white woman, when I die, my wealth goes to the very people who robbed everything from my community.” Yeah, sure. Vanessa Bryant hasn’t responded to Johnson’s wild claims, but she doesn’t have to; social media is doing the job for her. “Vanessa Bryant woke up one morning and never saw her husband and daughter again, and she is still (seemingly) functioning. If that woman puts all of Kobe’s money in a fuckin tissue box and wipes her tears with it every day, she deserves to do that,” one X user wrote. Others point out how Johnson has failed to deliver to the school he’s been asking for donations for since 2014.

Welp. You can see more reactions in the gallery below. — Photo: Variety / Getty