Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, father of Kobe Bryant, passed away at 69.
Though the cause of death was not officially disclosed, he had recently
suffered a severe stroke. Joe, a standout at La Salle University, played
in the NBA and abroad, with the 76ers honoring him as a “local basketball
icon.” He averaged 8.7 points and 4.0 rebounds over 606 NBA games. After
his playing career, he coached in the U.S., Japan, and Thailand,
including a stint with the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks