Kobe Bryant’s father, Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant, died at the age of 69
Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, the father of the late Basketball Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, died on Tuesday, his alma mater confirmed. Bryant, who played eight seasons in the NBA for three different teams, was 69.
According to La Salle coach Fran Dunphy and the Philadelphia Inquirer, Joe Bryant suffered a severe stroke lately. “We are saddened to announce the passing of La Salle basketball great Joe Bryant,” the school stated in a press release. “Joe played for the Explorers from 1973 to 1975 and was on our coaching staff from 1993 to 1996. He was a treasured part of the Explorer family and will be deeply missed.”
Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, in January 2020, while on their way to a basketball event.
Joe and Pam Bryant, who had been married for nearly 50 years, had a sometimes strained relationship with Kobe, but they were in the front row for the funeral ceremony in Los Angeles about a month after Kobe and Gianna died. “Sending our condolences upon hearing the news of my father-in-law’s passing,” Kobe’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, wrote on her Instagram story Tuesday. “We wished things had been different. Despite the short time we spent together, he was always lovely and pleasant to be around. “Kobe adored him.
Joe Bryant was the Warriors’ 14th pick in the 1975 draft, and the team sold his rights to Philadelphia before his rookie season began. He spent four years with the 76ers, three with the San Diego Clippers, and one with the Houston Rockets, averaging 8.7 points in 606 games.
From there, he began a worldwide career that included stops in France and Italy. The years in Italy changed Kobe Bryant; it was there that he began to acquire a genuine love for basketball and became fluent in Italian. Kobe Bryant’s family returned to the Philadelphia area when he was 13 years old, and he went on to become a high school star before being draughted.
“I’m deeply saddened by the passing of Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant and join the basketball community in mourning a true Philly hoops legend,” said Detroit Pistons vice chairman and Kobe Bryant’s former agent, Arn Tellem. “Our friendship allowed me to represent Kobe as he entered the NBA, which is a memory I will always treasure. Joe was a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather whose kindness affected everyone he knew. Joe Bryant has coached for teams in Italy, Japan, and Thailand, as well as the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, which meant he was coaching in the same city as his son for several years.