Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant, former NBA player and father of Kobe, dies at age of 69

Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, the father of the late Kobe Bryant, has died at the age of 69.

Like his son, Bryant was selected in the first round of the NBA draft. He played eight seasons in the NBA, with stints with the Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers, and Houston Rockets. He then played 10 years in Europe, primarily in Italy. He averaged 8.7 points and 4.0 rebounds during his NBA career and helped the 76ers reach the 1977 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Portland Trail Blazers.

After retiring from playing, he had a coaching career that included stops in Thailand and Japan, and with the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks. He also served as an assistant at La Salle, where he played college basketball. La Salle said Tuesday that Bryant “was a beloved member of the Explorer family and will be deeply missed.”

Although the cause of death has not been released, Bryant is said to have recently suffered a stroke.

Kobe Bryant often credited his father with helping him develop into one of the greatest players to ever play in the NBA. In 2010, Kobe Bryant told ESPN that his father “taught him from an early age how to look at the game, how to prepare for the game and how to execute it”.

Joe Bryant’s last coaching position was in 2015, and he largely retired from public life after Kobe died in a helicopter crash in 2020. In addition to Kobe, he had two daughters, Sharia and Shaya.