Joe Bryant, Father of Kobe Bryant, Has Died at Age 69

Joe Bryant, the father of the late Kobe Bryant, has died at age 69, The Philadelphia Inquirer announced on Tuesday. Bryant recently suffered a massive stroke.

Before his son became an NBA legend, Bryant, affectionately known as “Jellybean,” was also a basketball star during his high school days in the Philadelphia area. He played for John Bartram High School and La Salle College High School.

Bryant was then drafted in the first round of the 1975 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. He played eight seasons in the NBA on the Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers and Houston Rockets. He averaged 8.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 606 regular season games.

His basketball career didn’t end there. In 1983, Bryant began his international basketball career playing eight years in Italy and one year in France.

After his playing career was over, Bryant worked in different coaching roles, starting at his alma mater La Salle as an assistant. He is most known for coaching the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks during the 2005, ’06 and ’11 seasons. The Sparks reached the Western Conference Finals in 2006.

His son Kobe died at age 41 in Jan. 2020 in a tragic helicopter crash, along with his granddaughter Gianna, who was just 13.