Kobe Bryant‘s dad — and former NBA player — Joe Bryant has died at age 69.
La Salle head coach Fran Dunphy told The Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday, July 16, that Joe suffered a massive stroke after previously battling a health issue. No further details on Joe’s cause of death have been confirmed yet.
Joe was a first-round draft pick by the Golden State Warriors in 1975 after playing college ball at La Salle. He was subsequently traded to the San Diego Clippers. During his career, he played for the Philadelphia 76ers,Houston Rockets and overseas inItaly and France.
After retiring as a player, Joe shifted to coaching and went on to lead the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks from 2005 to 2007. He returned to the position in 2011 before going on to coach in Italy, Japan and Thailand.
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Joe married Pam Cox in 1975 and the couple expanded their family with son Kobe in 1978. Kobe went on to become a basketball legend after a 20-year career as a shooting guard with the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame before his death in 2020.
Kobe died at age 41 in a helicopter crash alongside 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven of their friends. Kobe is survived by wife Vanessa Bryant and their daughters Natalia, 21, Bianka, 7, and Capri, 4.
Shortly before Joe’s death, Kobe’s father auctioned off a replica championship ring gifted to him by his late son. The decision came as a surprise since Kobe’s parents attempted to sell memorabilia in 2013, which caused Kobe to sue them and the auction company. The case was settled and Kobe’s parents ultimately issued an apology.
“We regret our actions and statements related to the Kobe Bryant auction memorabilia,” they told ESPN at the time. “We apologize for any misunderstanding and unintended pain we have caused our son and appreciate the financial support he has provided over the years. We also apologize to Goldin Auctions for their inadvertent involvement in this matter and thank them for their assistance.”
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Kobe’s parents were noticeably absent during his final NBA game in 2016.
“Our relationship is s–t,” Kobe told ESPN in 2016. “I say, ‘I’m going to buy you a very nice home,’ and the response is, ‘That’s not good enough?’ Then you’re selling my s–t?”
Kobe praised his two sisters — Sharia and Shaya — for developing their own careers, adding, “I’m really proud of them. They were able to get their own jobs, get their own lives, take care of themselves. Now they have a better sense of self, of who they are as people, instead of being resentful because they were relying on me.”
