Joe “Jellybean” Bryant was a former NBA player with the Philadelphia 76ers, a WBNA coach, and the father of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant (1978–2020).
- Died: July 16, 2024 (Who else died on July 16?)
- Details of death: Died of a stroke at the age of 69.
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Joe Bryant’s legacy
Joe “Jellybean” Bryant’s son, Kobe Bryant, may have become one of the greatest NBA players of all time, but Joe Bryant was a talent in his own right and spent his entire adult life working in basketball. A star player at La Salle University, he was drafted by the Golden State Warriors and traded to his hometown Philadelphia 76ers. He played there from 1975 to 1979, going to the finals alongside legends like Julius Erving in 1977.
Bryant played another three years with the San Diego Clippers, then finished out his NBA career with the Houston Rockets in 1982-83. From 1983 to 1992, he played pro basketball in Europe before returning to the United States to become a coach. Most of his time was spent coaching for the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, as well as coaching overseas in Japan, Italy, and elsewhere.
Bryant returned to the Philadelphia area when his son, Kobe, was a teen showing his own promise as a basketball player. Coaching for his alma mater, he served as assistant coach with the La Salle Explorers from 1993 to 1996, but stepped down when Kobe entered the NBA draft after high school. Kobe Bryant went on to become a Hall of Fame shooting guard widely considered among the best ever to play the game. Joe Bryant finished out his coaching career in 2014-15 with the Rizing Fukuoka in Japan.
Tributes to Joe Bryant
Full obituary: The Philadelphia Inquirer
