Joe Bryant, affectionately known as “Jellybean,” has passed away at the age of 69. The former NBA player and father of Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant leaves behind a lasting basketball legacy. While no official cause of death has been announced, longtime coach Fran Dunphy shared that Bryant had recently suffered a severe stroke.
La Salle University, where Joe starred as a player and later served as a coach, honored him in a statement, calling him a beloved member of the Explorer family who will be dearly missed.
In recent years, Joe had largely remained out of the spotlight following the tragic 2020 helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Kobe, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant, and seven others in California. Despite reports of a sometimes complicated relationship with his son, Joe and his wife, Pam, attended a memorial service in Los Angeles in the weeks after the tragedy.
