Joe 'Jellybean' Bryant, former NBA player and father of Kobe Bryant, dies at 69

PHILADELPHIA - Former NBA player Joe Bryant – the father of the late Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant – has died at the age of 69.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Bryant had recently suffered a stroke. 

Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant, a Philadelphia native, attended John Batram High School and later played his college Basketball at LaSalle University. The university confirmed Bryant's passing in a tweet on Tuesday morning. 

Joe Bryant was the No. 14 pick by Golden State in the 1975 draft, and the Warriors wound up selling his rights to Philadelphia before the start of his rookie season. He played four years for the 76ers, three for the San Diego Clippers and one for the Houston Rockets, averaging 8.7 points in 606 games.

From there, he embarked on an international career, with stops in France and Italy. The years in Italy shaped Kobe Bryant; it was there that he started to truly develop a love for basketball as well as becoming fluent in Italian. The family moved back to the Philadelphia area around the time that Kobe Bryant was 13, he became a high school star and was drafted four years later.

Joe Bryant had a number of coaching stints, including for teams in Italy, Japan and Thailand, as well as stints with the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks — meaning he was coaching in the same city as his son was playing for a number of years. He also worked on the staff at LaSalle. 

In 1975, Joe married his wife, Pam Cox, with whom he shared three children. 

Kobe and his daughter Gianna, along with seven others, were tragically killed in a helicopter crash in January 2020. Kobe was 41 and Gianna was 13.