Kobe Bryant’s Father Joe Bryant Dies at 69

Joe Bryant, the father of the late Hall of Famer Kobe Brant, died at 69.

La Salle head coach Fran Dunphy announced Joe Bryant died on Tuesday morning after suffering a major stroke.

Joe Bryant’s death comes over four years after his 41-year-old son Kobe Bryant and 13-year-old granddaughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.

Before Kobe Bryant’s death, he credited his father for helping him hone his basketball skills.

Joe Bryant was a professional basketball player who played both in the United States and internationally.

Bryant played for the Golden State Warriors, Philadephia 76ers, San Diego Clippers, and Houston Rockets before playing professionally in Europe for several years.

Joe Bryant, former NBA player and father of Kobe Bryant, has passed away at the age of 69, per @PhillyInquirer pic.twitter.com/shNzzUg9JO

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 16, 2024

Per ESPN:

Former NBA player Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, the father of Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, has died. He was 69.

An official cause of Bryant’s death was not announced as of Tuesday morning. La Salle University, where Bryant played and coached, said in a statement that Bryant “was a beloved member of the Explorer family and will be dearly missed.”

Longtime Philadelphia-area basketball coach Fran Dunphy, who currently is the head coach at La Salle, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Bryant recently suffered a massive stroke.

Joe Bryant seldom appeared in public after Kobe Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash in 2020. The former Los Angeles Lakers superstar told ESPN in 2010 that Joe was “a great basketball mind” and credited his father with teaching him “from an early age how to view the game, how to prepare for the game and how to execute.”

I’m devastated to hear about the loss of my friend Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, the father of Kobe Bryant. Joe was not only a talented basketball player; he was also a great coach. A lot of people don’t know that he coached the LA Sparks in 2005, 2006, and 2011! Joe was an exceptional… pic.twitter.com/BOZDg35YYi

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) July 16, 2024

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