Joe Bryant - Kobe Bryant's father has passed away
Joe Bryant (1954-2024), father of the late basketball icon Kobe Bryant (1978-2020,) is dead. Multiple US sources confirm the news. "La Salle University Athletics mourns the men's basketball legend Joe 'Jellybean' Bryant, who passed away on a Monday morning," the University shares. Joe Bryant was one of the star players for La Salle Explorers in the 1970s.
Joe Bryant "was a basketball icon" in Philadelphia
"I am saddened by the sudden loss of my uncle," John Cox, assistant coach of the La Salle men's basketball team and Bryant's nephew, is quoted as saying. "He was a basketball icon in the city of Philadelphia and someone I grew up admiring." Joe Bryant also played in the NBA like his son Kobe and was later active in various coaching roles - also at La Salle University.
The "Philadelphia Inquirer" reports on Bryant's death. The cause of death is not known, but current Explorers head coach Fran Dunphy told the paper that Bryant had recently suffered a severe stroke.
Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa mourns
Bryant's son Kobe, who died early 2020, is considered one of the greatest NBA icons. The basketball star died together with his then 13-year-old daughter Gianna and other passengers in a helicopter crash in California.
Gianna's mother and Bryant's wife Vanessa (42) expresses her condolences on Instagram following her father-in-law's death. "We hoped things would turn out differently," she writes in a story. Even though she spent little time with him, he was "kind and loving" in her presence. "Kobe loved him," she adds. She prays for the family.
- Joe Bryant, who was a basketball icon in Philadelphia during the 1970s, spent some of his NBA career playing alongside his son Kobe, just like he did in their shared time on the La Salle Explorers team.
- In the 1970s, Joe Bryant made a significant impact as a star player for La Salle University's men's basketball team, contributing to their success and leaving an indelible mark on the university's athletics program.
- Despite the sadness that surrounds the news of his passing, Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa expresses her deep affection for Joe Bryant, sharing memories of his kindness and love towards her even in infrequent encounters.
- In the midst of her own mourning following Kobe's tragic death in 2020, Vanessa Bryant offers her condolences and prayers to Joe Bryant's family, honoring the special bond that existed between the two basketball legends from Philadelphia.
