Long-time pro basketball player Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, whose long, decorated career overseas in Europe, left an indelible mark and had a life-changing and profound impact on his Hall of Fame and five-time champion son Kobe, has died, officials said on Tuesday.
An official cause of Bryant’s death was not announced as of Tuesday morning, but Philadelphia-area basketball coach Fran Dunphy, who currently is the head coach at La Salle, informed the Philadelphia Inquirer that Bryant recently suffered a medical emergency, a massive stroke. He was 69.
“We are saddened to announce the passing of La Salle basketball great Joe Bryant,” said a statement by La Salle University where he played from 1973 to 1975 and was a part of the coaching staff from 1993 to 1996. “He was a beloved member of the Explorer family and will be dearly missed.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThe elder 6-foot-9 Bryant played in parts of eight NBA seasons, with three different organizations, the Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers and Houston Rockets from 1975 to 1983, averaging 8.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in 606 career games. He was a member of the 1976-77 Sixers team that lost to Bill Walton and Jack Ramsay of the Trail Blazers in the NBA Finals.
The 76ers called Bryant a Philly basketball “icon, whose legacy on the court transcended his journey across Bartram High School, La Salle University, and his first four NBA seasons with the Sixers from 1975-79.”
“Our condolences go out to the Bryant family,” the team added.
After Bryant exited the NBA, he spent the next eight years traveling the world and playing for professional teams in France and Italy.
After playing for nearly a decade overseas in France and Italy, Bryant still wanted to give back to the game and started his coaching career in 1992. He was the head coach for the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks for parts of three seasons and also coached in various roles at both the professional and college levels in the U.S., Japan and Thailand.
Kobe Bryant, born in 1978, spent much of his formative years in Italy where he learned several languages and grew accustomed to the Italian way of life.
The younger Bryant, whose middle name is Bean, in honor of his father’s nickname, went on to become the fourth-leading scorer in NBA history and is widely considered one of the game’s greatest players.
Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles on January 26, 2020. He was 41.
