Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, Father of Kobe Bryant, Dies at 69

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Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, left, talks to his father, Joe, as they watch a baseball game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, June 21, 2009. Joe “Jellybean” Bryant has died, his alma mater announced Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Joe Bryant, who spent eight seasons in the NBA with three different franchises, was 69. The Philadelphia Inquirer, citing La Salle coach Fran Dunphy, reported that Joe Bryant recently had a massive stroke. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
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Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, father of the late Basketball Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, has passed away at 69, his alma mater La Salle University announced on Tuesday.

Bryant, who played eight seasons in the NBA with three different franchises, reportedly suffered a massive stroke, according to La Salle coach Fran Dunphy.

The school expressed their sorrow, noting Bryant’s contributions as a player from 1973-75 and as a coach from 1993-96.

Jubilation permeated the 76ers locker room as Philadelphia’s Doug Collins, left, and Joe Bryant celebrated the team’s 112-107 victory over the New York Knicks in New York, April 24, 1978. The victory at Madison Square Garden eliminated the Knicks from the playoffs. (AP Photo/Ron Frehm)

Joe Bryant, selected 14th in the 1975 NBA draft by Golden State, played for the Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers, and Houston Rockets, averaging 8.7 points over 606 games.

His son, Kobe Bryant, along with Kobe’s daughter and seven others, tragically died in a helicopter crash in January 2020.


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