PHiladelphia – Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, the father of the deceased Kobe Bryant, member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, has died, his alma mater announced Tuesday.
Bryant, who spent eight seasons in the NBA with three different franchises, was 69 years old. The Philadelphia Inquirer, citing La Salle coach Fran Dunphy, reported that Joe Bryant recently had a massive stroke.
“We are saddened to announce the passing of La Salle basketball great Joe Bryant,” the school said in a news release. “Joe played for the Explorers from 1973-75 and was a member of our coaching staff from 1993-96. He was a beloved member of the Explorer family and will be greatly missed.”
Kobe Bryant, your daughter Gianna and seven other people died in a January 2020 helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, while the group was heading to a basketball tournament.
Joe Bryant was the 14th pick by Golden State in the 1975 draft, and the Warriors ended up selling his rights to Philadelphia before the start of his rookie season. He played four years for the 76ers, three for the San Diego Clippers and one for the Houston Rockets, averaging 8.7 points in 606 games.
From then on, he began an international career, with stints in France and Italy. Years in Italy shaped Kobe Bryant; it was there that he began to truly develop a love for basketball and also become fluent in Italian. The family moved back to the Philadelphia area around the time Kobe Bryant was 13 years old. He became a high school star and was drafted four years later.
Joe Bryant had several coaching stints, including with teams in Italy, Japan and Thailand, as well as stints with the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks – meaning he coached in the same city where his son played for several years.
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