Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Bryan Kalbrosky

NBA fans paid tribute to Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant, the father of the late Kobe Bryant, who died at 69

Kobe Bryant NBA Joe Bryant Joe Jellybean Bryant Bronny James La Salle Basketball

Joe Bryant, the father of the late Kobe Bryant, has died at 69 years old.

Bryant was the No. 14 overall pick in the 1975 NBA Draft out of La Salle University. He played eight seasons in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers, and Houston Rockets. He later played several years of basketball overseas in Italy and France.

After his playing career, he had a lengthy coaching career as well. That included time as an assistant at his alma mater, La Salle. He also coached in the WNBA for the Los Angeles Sparks and in Japan and Thailand.

Alongside his son, Bryant was also briefly a minority owner for the Olimpia Milano club in Italy. Many fans and teams paid their respects for the former NBA player, whose son won five NBA championships and tragically died in 2020:

More NBA

Nikola Jokic looked so bewildered that someone forgot his jersey before Serbia's Olympic exhibition

Jayson Tatum shared a hilarious story about the time LeBron James made him cry

NBA fans roasted Bronny James for a pair of Summer League airballs

Lip-readers think Jaylen Brown and Kysre Gondrezick were criticizing Bronny James

Candace Parker shared a beautiful snippet of her mentoring Kobe Bryant’s daughter at basketball

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Country diary: Spotting a lynx requires patience or profound luck
Andújar, Spain: I discover that there are hints of humour in the otherwise seriously exciting business of watching Iberian lynx
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Empowering engineering students through storytelling
Stories of self-doubt are common among engineering students. That was a key finding of a study conducted recently at Boise State University by a team of researchers.
The Conversation
The Conversation
Nara Smith Is Pushing Back On People Reducing Her To A ‘Trad Wife’
Smith is rebranding.
Marie Claire - AU
Marie Claire - AU
“Poopoojohns”: 77 Pizzas With Threatening Auras From This Dedicated FB Page
People feel pretty strongly about the kind of pie they like, so, pizza crimes is a pretty popular topic online. The post “Poopoojohns”: 77 Pizzas With Threatening Auras From This Dedicated FB Page first appeared on Bored Panda.
Bored Panda
Bored Panda
“Our hearts are broken.” Jane's Addiction cancel US tour and announce hiatus, with bandmates claiming that Perry Farrell's “mental health difficulties” have left them them “no alternative”, for their own safety
Following onstage altercation in Boston, Jane's Addiction are now on hiatus again
Louder
Louder
Will Smith uses this coffee table styling method for a personal twist on his kitchen island – bringing the trend alive in a new space
Trayscaping continues to provoke conversations around our side and coffee tables, but the actor also makes a case for it in the kitchen
Homes & Gardens
Homes & Gardens
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play