Former NBA player and father of the late Kobe Bryant, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, passed away on Monday, July 16 at the age of 69. According to reports from multiple sources, Joe suffered a massive stroke, which led to his death.
Joe Bryant, an eight-year NBA veteran and the father of Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, has died at age 69, his alma mater announced Tuesday.
News of his death was initially shared by Fran Dunphy, the head men’s basketball coach at La Salle University, who told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Bryant had suffered a massive stroke recently.
“He was a beloved member of the Explorer family and will be dearly missed,” La Salle said in a separate announcement.
Joe Bryant’s death occurred more than four years after Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., at age 41. The Los Angeles Lakers great’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was also among the nine people who died in the January 2020 crash.
