Before his son rose to fame and became one of the greatest, Joe Bryant was considered a Philadelphia basketball legend.
Bryant starred at Bartram High School and went on to play eight seasons in the NBA.
Unfortunately, we have some sad news on this front. Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer was the first to report on Tuesday that Bryant has passed away at the age of 69. Per Sielski, the father of Kobe Bryant recently suffered a massive stroke.
This comes 4.5 years after Kobe and his daughter Gianni were among nine poeple to die in a tragic Southern California helicopter accident on Jan. 26, 2020.
Vanesssa Bryant among those to pay homage to Joe Bryant after death
“Sending our condolences upon hearing of my father in law’s passing. We hoped things would’ve been different,” Kobe Bryant’s widow said in a statement. “Although the times we spent together were few, he was always sweet and nice to be around. Kobe loved him very much. Our prayers go out to his family.”
Bryant was an original first-round pick of the Golden State Wariors in the 1975 NBA Draft. He never played with the Warriors, seeing his rights traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. Over the course of an eight-year career in the NBA, Bryant averaged 8.7 points and 4.0 rebounds.
The older Bryant and his son were close as Kobe was starring Lower Merion High School. Their relationship became strained once the younger Bryant entered the NBA as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.