Joe Bryant, Kobe Bryant’s dad, dead at 69

Posted by author July 16, 2024 NBA

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Former NBA player Joe Bryant, the father of the late Kobe Bryant, has died, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

He was 69.

The elder Bryant — nicknamed “Jellybean” during his playing days — suffered a massive stroke recently, LaSalle head coach Fran Dunphy told the Inquirer Tuesday.

Bryant, a 6-foot-9 forward, played for the Explorers from 1973-75 and was a member of the LaSalle coaching staff from 1993-96.

Kobe Bryant laughs with father Joe Jelly Bean Bryant before playing the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals on April 20, 2010 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images

“We are saddened to announce the passing of La Salle basketball great Joe Bryant,” the LaSalle men’s basketball team said in a post on X.

Bryant’s death comes more than four years after his son and his granddaughter, Gigi Bryant, died in a horrific helicopter crash in California on Jan. 26, 2020.

Joe Bryant speaks about his enthusiasm on becoming the head coach of the Tokyo Apache, a team in Japan's first professional league, during an interview with the Associated Press in Tokyo on Sunday May 22, 2005. — Joe Bryant speaks about his enthusiasm on becoming the head coach of the Tokyo Apache, a team in Japan’s first professional league, during an interview with the Associated Press in Tokyo on Sunday May 22, 2005. SHIZUO KAMBAYASHI

Bryant was a first-round pick, 14th overall, by the Warriors in the 1975 draft.

However, he never played for the Golden State, as the franchise sold his draft rights to his hometown Philadelphia 76ers less than four months later.

Bryant went on to play eight NBA seasons for the 76ers, then-San Diego Clippers and Rockets and averaged 8.7 points and four rebounds in 606 career games.

He then took his talents overseas, having played for several teams in Italy and France — and coached teams in Japan and Thailand.