The father of Kobe Bryant, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, died of complications from a stroke. He was 69. His death was announced in a post on the La Salle Men’s Basketball X account on Tuesday.
La Salle coach Fran Dunphy told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday that Joe recently suffered a massive stroke.
The 76ers selected Joe with the No. 14 pick in the 1975 NBA Draft. He played 8 seasons in the NBA.
In his first game for the Clippers Joe famously dunked on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Joe’s son Kobe inherited his dad’s superior basketball skills. Kobe won five NBA championships and was an 18-time All-Star.
Kobe was partly raised in Italy, where Joe played for several teams.
Kobe died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. He was 41. His wife Vanessa Bryant turned off the comments on her Instagram page on Tuesday.
Kobe’s parents were left penniless when he died. They were forced to sell a replica of one of Kobe’s NBA championship rings to make ends meet.
