Joe Bryant, the father of late NBA legend Kobe Bryant, has allegedly died at the age of 69.
Fran Dunphy, head coach at La Salle, confirmed to the Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday that Joe had recently suffered a severe stroke. His death comes more than four years after the devastating deaths of his son and granddaughter, Gigi, in a helicopter crash in January 2020.
Joe was a basketball star in his own right before his son became one of the best ever. He established himself as a player for Bartram High School and La Salle in Philadelphia. The Golden State Warriors drafted him in the first round in 1975 before selling his rights to the Philadelphia 76ers the same year. He was with the franchise for four seasons before joining the Houston Rockets for a time. Eventually, he achieved further success abroad, particularly in Italy.
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Joe and Kobe were close throughout his youth and early NBA career, but their connection grew strained later in life. Joe never publicly addressed his son’s death and received outrage from fans after auctioning off Kobe’s first championship ring. Speaking with ESPN in 2016, Kobe described his connection with his parents as “sht.” He explained: “I say to them, ‘I’m going to buy you a very nice home,’ and the response is, ‘That’s not good enough.'” “So you’re selling my sht?”
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