Late Kobe Bryant’s father, Joe ‘Jellybean’, dies at 69

Former NBA player and WNBA head coach Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, father of the late Kobe Bryant, has died at 69, The Philadelphia Inquirer announced Tuesday.

Bryant recently suffered a massive stroke, according to the newspaper.

A Philadelphia native who starred there collegiately at La Salle, Bryant was a first-round pick (14th overall) by the Golden State Warriors in 1975 and was then sold to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 8.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 606 games over eight NBA seasons with the Sixers (1975-79), San Diego Clippers (1979-82) and Houston Rockets (1982-83).

Bryant later played professionally in Italy (1983-91) and France (1991) before transitioning to coaching. He was the head coach of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks from 2005-06 and again in 2011, compiling a record of 40-24 with two playoff appearances. He also coached teams in Japan and Thailand until 2015.

His son, Kobe, became a Hall of Fame player with the Los Angeles Lakers who died tragically in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020 at the age of 41. Joe Bryant’s granddaughter, Gianna, 13, also died in the accident.