Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, 69, passed away, according to the sports department of La Salle University. He was the father of Kobe Bryant, a basketball hall of famer who passed away recently.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Joe had just had a stroke, citing La Salle men's head basketball coach Fran Dunphy. At this time, we do not know the specific cause of death.
His alma mater, La Salle University, released a statement stating, "was a beloved member of the Explorer family and will be dearly missed." Joe had been a player and coach there.
Similar
to his well-known son, Joe too achieved greatness as a basketball
player. After being selected by the Golden State Warriors with the
fourteenth overall choice in the 1975 NBA draft, he spent four seasons
with the Philadelphia 76ers, three with the San Diego Clippers, and one
with the Houston Rockets. And he did it all throughout Europe.
Following
Joe's career at Bartram High School, La Salle University, and his first
four seasons in the NBA with the 76ers from 1975–1979, the team honored
him by describing him as "a local basketball icon, whose legacy on the
court transcended his journey."
Joe's
untimely demise occurs four years after the horrific helicopter
accident that killed his son Kobe and granddaughter Gianna, along with
seven others.......
