Vanessa Bryant is mourning the death of Kobe’s father, Joe Bryant, who died Tuesday afternoon at the age of 69.
LaSalle coach Fran Dunphy said The Philadelphia Inquirer On Tuesday, he recently suffered a stroke.
Rest in Peace, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant đź’” pic.twitter.com/zA1XsnWcqi
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) July 17, 2024
“We are saddened to announce the passing of La Salle basketball legend Joe Bryant,” the LaSalle men’s basketball team said in a statement to The X.
Vanessa paid tribute to her father-in-law on her Instagram story.
“We sent our condolences when we heard the news of my father’s passing,” he wrote on Instagram Story. “We were hoping that things would have been different. Although the times we spent together were few, he was always pleasant and fun to be with. Kobe loved him so much. Our prayers go out to the family.”
Vanessa’s tribute no doubt pointed to the broken relationship between Kobe and his parents, which became strained during his Hall of Fame career with the Lakers.
Kobe and his father were apparently close when Kobe played at Lower Merion High School.
Kobe’s father played for the Explorers from 1973-75 and was on the LaSalle coaching staff from 1993-96.
The elder Bryant also played in the NBA and was nicknamed “Jellybean”.
He was drafted as the 14th overall pick by the Warriors in the 1975 draft.
But he never actually played for Golden State, as the franchise sold his draft rights to his hometown of Philadelphia.
He played eight NBA seasons and 606 career games for the 76ers, then San Diego Clippers and Rockets.
Bryant’s death comes four and a half years after Kobe and his granddaughter, Gigi tragically died in a helicopter crash.
In the days following the accident, it was reported that Kobe was trying to repair his broken relationship with both of his parents.
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