Joe Bryant, Kobe Bryant’s father, dies at 69

Former NBA player Joe Bryant, the father of the late Kobe Bryant, has died, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

He was 69.

The elder Bryant — who was nicknamed “Jellybean” during his playing career — recently suffered a massive stroke, La Salle head coach Fran Dunphy told the Inquirer on Tuesday.

Bryant, a 6-foot-1 forward, played for the Explorers from 1973 to 1975 and was a member of the La Salle coaching staff from 1993 to 1996.

“We are saddened to announce the passing of La Salle basketball legend Joe Bryant,” the La Salle men’s basketball team said in a message on X.

Bryant died more than four years after his son and granddaughter Gigi Bryant were killed in a horrific helicopter crash in California on January 26, 2020.

Bryant, a forward from La Salle, was selected 14th overall in the first round by the Warriors in the 1975 draft.

He played eight seasons in the NBA for the 76ers, the then-San Diego Clippers and the Rockets before taking his talents abroad, playing for several teams in Italy.