(DailyDig.com) – Joe Bryant, an NBA player prior to retirement and father of the late Kobe Bryant, who was also an NBA player, died. He was 69 years old. His death came four years after his son died when his helicopter crashed.
On July 16, La Salle University’s men’s basketball program announced the loss of a fellow player. From 1973 to 1975, he was a member of the Explorers. He also served on their coaching staff from 1993 to 1996. The announcement stated that he was well-loved and that they would miss him dearly.
Fran Dunphy, the La Salle University coach, told the news media that Bryant had recently suffered a massive stroke.
Bryant, called “Jellybean” by friends, was a star basketball player in his Philadelphia area high schools, John Bartram and La Salle College High School.
Bryant then attended La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during his college career in basketball, prior to being the 15th first-draft pick for the Golden State Warriors in 1975. Prior to his rookie year with the Warriors, they traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers. Bryant played for the 76ers until he moved to the San Diego Clippers and eventually to the Houston Rockets.
During his NBA career of eight seasons, he averaged 8.7 points, 1.7 assists, and 4.0 rebounds for each game he played. Following the seasons of 1980 through 1983, during which Bryant had his most prolific stretch, he decided to move overseas to continue his basketball career. For nine seasons, he played in Italy, and he spent his final professional season playing for France.
After he ended his professional career, Bryant returned his family to Philadelphia to allow his son, Kobe, the opportunity to follow in his footsteps in basketball. Kobe was a top basketball player at Lower Merion High School during the 1990s. He then spent his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bryant continued to coach basketball after his retirement. Most notably, he coached the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA.
Bryant’s wife and two daughters survived him.
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