Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, the father of Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant and a former NBA player, has passed away at the age of 69. As of Tuesday morning, the official cause of his death had not been disclosed. La Salle University, where Bryant both played and coached, issued a statement saying he “was a beloved member of the Explorer family and will be dearly missed.”

Fran Dunphy, the head coach of La Salle and a fellow Philadelphia-area basketball coach, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Bryant had recently suffered a severe stroke.

Since Kobe Bryant’s tragic death in a helicopter accident over four years ago, Joe Bryant had largely stayed out of the public eye. In 2010, Kobe had praised his father to ESPN, saying Joe had “a great basketball mind” and had taught him “from an early age how to view the game, how to prepare for the game, and how to execute.”

In January 2020, Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others died in a helicopter crash while traveling to a basketball event in Calabasas, California. Joe and Pam Bryant, who had been married for nearly fifty years, attended Kobe and Gianna’s memorial service in Los Angeles, despite occasionally having a tense relationship with Kobe.

Upon hearing the news of Joe Bryant’s passing, Kobe’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, shared on her Instagram story, “Sending our condolences upon hearing the news of my father-in-law’s passing. We hoped things would’ve been different. Although the times we spent together were few, he was always sweet and nice to be around. Kobe loved him very much.”

Joe Bryant was a standout player at La Salle University, averaging 20.8 points per game over two seasons with the Explorers. He played professionally both in the United States and abroad, having been selected by the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 1975 NBA Draft before being acquired by the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 76ers issued a statement saying, “Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant was a local basketball icon, whose legacy on the court transcended his journey across Bartram High School, La Salle University, and his first four NBA seasons with the 76ers from 1975-79. Our condolences go out to the Bryant family.”

Former Kobe teammate Doug Young praised Joe as the ideal “role model.” He told ESPN, “Joe was our JV coach at Lower Merion and I could not have asked for a more positive mentor, teacher, and role model. It’s difficult to overstate how much he influenced me and my teammates. He made basketball fun and made us all want to be better; he believed in us. I’ll never forget his infectious smile, his bear hugs, and the incredible bond he shared with Kobe. Growing up in Lower Merion, there was no family we loved and admired more than the Bryants, and that started with Joe.”

During his NBA career, Joe Bryant averaged 8.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in 606 career games with the Sixers, Clippers, and Rockets over eight seasons. He was part of the 1976–77 Sixers team that reached the NBA Finals but lost to the Trail Blazers.

After spending over a decade playing overseas in France and Italy, Bryant began his coaching career in 1992. He held various coaching positions at the professional and collegiate levels in the United States, Japan, and Thailand, including serving as head coach of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks for parts of three seasons.

Arn Tellem, vice chairman of the Pistons and Kobe Bryant’s former agent, expressed his deep sadness over Joe Bryant’s passing, saying, “Our friendship opened the door for me to represent Kobe as he entered the NBA, a memory I’ll always cherish. Joe was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, whose warmth touched everyone he met.”

This story includes contributions from the Associated Press and ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.