“We are saddened to announce the passing of La Salle basketball great Joe Bryant,” the team posted in a statement on social media.
“Joe played for the Explorers from 1973-75 and was a member of our coaching staff from 1993-96,” the statement went on. “He was a beloved member of the Explorer family and will be dearly missed.”that Bryant recently had a serious stroke. Kobe Bryant poses for a portrait with his father Joe"Jellybean" Bryant in November 2000. It was announced Tuesday that Joe Bryant had died at age 69 after a serious stroke.Nicknamed “Jellybean” for his fondness for sweets, Bryant played eight seasons in the NBA after being drafted as a first-round pick by theOnce his run in the NBA ended in 1983, Bryant thrived for a time in basketball’s European leagues.
Bryant’s next chapter was as a coach, leading teams in Japan, Italy and Hong Kong and serving as head coach of the WNBA’sBryant’s death comes four and a half years after his son Kobe and his granddaughter GigiJoe Bryant is survived by his wife, Pam, and their daughters, Sharia B. Washington and Shaya Tabb.