Former basketball star Joe Bryant, father of the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant, has died at the age of 69.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, LaSalle University head coach Fran Dunphy said Joe recently suffered a severe stroke. Joe played basketball at LaSalle and Bartram High Schools before going on to play several seasons in the NBA.
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LaSalle University confirmed the news in a post by X, writing, “We are sad to announce the passing of LaSalle University basketball great Joe Bryant.”
“Joe played for the Explorers from 1973-1975 and was a member of our coaching staff from 1993-1996. He was a beloved member of the Explorers family and we will miss him dearly.”
More than four years ago, Bryant's son Kobe and granddaughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California in January 2020. The NBA legend was 41 at the time of his death, and Gianna was just 13 years old.
After graduating from La Salle University, Joe was selected in the first round of the NBA Draft in 1975 by the Golden State Warriors, but never played for the California team, as he sold his rights to his hometown Philadelphia 76ers four months after the draft.
Joe played eight seasons in the NBA with the 76ers, San Diego Clippers and Houston Rockets before moving overseas to play in Italy and France. When Kobe was 13, the Bryant family returned to the United States and settled in the Philadelphia area, where Kobe attended the nationally renowned Lower Merion High School.
After retiring, Joe began working as a basketball coach both domestically and internationally, and served as head coach of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks for one year.
In addition to Kobe, Joe and his wife, Pam Bryant, also have two daughters, Sharia and Shaya.