Kobe Bryant's Dad Joe, 69, Killed by Stroke Four Years After NBA Icon Son's Tragic Helicopter Crash
NBA legend Kobe Bryant’s father, Joe Bryant, has passed away this week after suffering a stroke.
July 16 2024, Published 10:52 a.m. ET
NBA legend Kobe Bryant’s father, Joe Bryant, has passed away this week after suffering a stroke. He was 69.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Joe Bryant – who, like his late son, was an NBA star in his own right – passed away on Tuesday.
La Salle head coach Fran Dunphy confirmed Joe passed away following a massive stroke.
La Salle head coach Fran Dunphy confirmed Joe passed away following a massive stroke.
Joe Bryant’s sudden death on Tuesday comes less than five years after his son, Kobe, and granddaughter, Gianna Bryant, passed away in a tragic helicopter crash in California on January 26, 2020. Kobe was 41. Gigi was just 13.
The Philadelphia Enquirer further confirmed Joe Bryant’s death on Tuesday. The outlet reported Bryant, at 6-foot-9, was a basketball star at Philadelphia’s Bartram High School before playing at La Salle University and then joining the NBA for more than eight seasons.
Nicknamed ‘Jellybean’ because of his love for sweets, Joe was first selected by the Golden State Warriors in the 1975 NBA draft – only for the team to sell his rights to Philadelphia a few months later.
The forward played four seasons with Philadelphia and helped the 76ers reach the NBA Finals in 1977.
Joe Bryant’s sudden death on Tuesday comes less than five years after his son, Kobe, and granddaughter, Gianna Bryant, passed away in a tragic helicopter crash.
Kobe’s father eventually moved to Europe and played for teams in Italy and France before returning to the U.S. and hitting the road with the Los Angeles Clippers and, later, the Houston Rockets.
Joe’s relationship with his NBA icon son deteriorated after the elder Bryant and Kobe’s mother, Pamela, 70, attempted to auction off the basketball superstar’s high school memorabilia without his consent.
Kobe told ESPN in 2016: “Our relationship is s---.
“I say to them: ‘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---?”
Kobe told ESPN in 2016: “Our relationship is s---."
Earlier this year, a 2000 NBA title ring gifted to Joe by Kobe sold for $927k at auction.
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Joe has also never discussed his son and granddaughter’s tragic 2020 deaths.
Kobe and Gigi Bryant perished on January 26, 2020 after their helicopter crashed while flying from John Wayne Airport to the NBA legend’s Mamba Basketball Academy in Thousand Oaks. Seven others also lost their lives in the devastating crash.
Vanessa Bryant paid tribute to her late loved ones during a memorial for the pair in February 2020.
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Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s 42-year-old wife and Gigi’s mother, paid tribute to her late loved ones during a memorial for the pair in February 2020.
She said: “We love and miss you, Boo-Boo and Gigi. May you both rest in peace and have fun in heaven until we meet again one day. We love you both and miss you forever and always, Mommy.”
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