Veteran NBA power forward Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, who was the father of the legendary Los Angeles Lakers’ shooting guard Kobe Bryant, has sadly passed away at the age of 69, according to Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Joe Bryant’s death marks another tragic loss for the Bryant family this decade. In January 2020, Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna (Joe’s granddaughter) both lost their lives in a helicopter accident, along with seven others. Kobe was 41 years old, while Gianna was only 13.
Reports from Fran Dunphy, the head coach of Bryant’s alma mater La Salle University, indicate that Bryant had suffered a “massive stroke” before his passing.
A Philadelphia native, Joe Bryant played two seasons with his hometown team, the La Salle Explorers, from 1973-75. Following this, he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers as the 14th pick in the 1975 NBA Draft. Bryant had memorable moments during his time with the San Diego Clippers, including a notable dunk over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1979-80 season opener. He later played with the Houston Rockets in the 1982-83 season.
Throughout his NBA career spanning 606 regular season games, Bryant averaged 8.7 points, shot 45 percent from the field, 74.3 percent from the free-throw line, grabbed 4.0 rebounds, and dished out 1.7 assists.
After his NBA tenure, Bryant continued playing professionally overseas for various Italian and French teams from 1983-91. He then returned to Philadelphia, where his son Kobe embarked on a remarkable high school basketball journey at Lower Merion High School.
In his coaching career, Bryant worked at several levels, coaching both men’s and women’s teams. Notably, he served as a coach for the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA and coached internationally in countries like Japan and Thailand.
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