Joe Bryant, the father of the late Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant, has died according to reports. Joe Bryant, nicknamed Jellybean, was a Philadelphia native who played basketball and coached in the city reportedly suffered a stroke.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Joe Bryant suffered a stroke based on comments made by La Salle University Men’s Basketball Head Coach Fran Dunphy. Bryant’s passing happened well over four years after the death of Kobe Bryant and his granddaughter Gigi Bryant on January 26, 2020.
According to the Inquirer, Bryant earned the nickname Jellybean due to his love of sweet treats and was a star player at Bartram High School and La Salle University ahead of being drafted in the first round of the 1975 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. After eight seasons in the league, including four with the Philadelphia 76ers, Bryant established himself as a player in Italy and Europe, where a young Kobe picked up the Italian language
The outlet adds that a distance became apparent between Kobe Bryant and his father after being drafted right out of Lower Merion High School by the Los Angeles Lakers. After the death of his son and granddaughter, the elder Bryant never spoke about the loss, signaling just how far the rift between them was.
Joe Bryant was 69.
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