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Father Of NBA Legend Kobe Bryant Passed Away Tuesday

Shandel Richardson

Feb. 9, 2024; Los Angeles, Calif.; The Los Angeles Lakers unveil a statue to the public honoring Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant at Crypto.com Arena. Bryant won five NBA championships and played all twenty of his NBA seasons with the franchise. Bryant died in a helicopter crash with his daughter Gianna in January 2020. Mandatory Credit: Sandy Hooper-USA TODAY
Feb. 9, 2024; Los Angeles, Calif.; The Los Angeles Lakers unveil a statue to the public honoring Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant at Crypto.com Arena. Bryant won five NBA championships and played all twenty of his NBA seasons with the franchise. Bryant died in a helicopter crash with his daughter Gianna in January 2020. Mandatory Credit: Sandy Hooper-USA TODAY / Sandy Hooper-USA TODAY

Joe Bryant was responsible for grooming one of the greatest players in NBA history.

On Tuesday, his passing was announced. Bryant was the father of former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant. The elder, nicknamed "Jellybean" Bryant was 69.

The news was announced by La Salle University, where Bryant played collegiately before becoming a pro player with the Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers, and Houston Rockets. He later played overseas in Italy and France.

"We are saddened to announce the passing of La Salle basketball great Joe Bryant," the school posted on X. "Joe played for the Explorers from 1973-75 and was a member of our coaching staff from 1993-96. He was a beloved member of the Explorer family and will be dearly missed."

The elder Bryant died four years after his son was killed in a helicopter accident. Kobe Bryant is widely considered among the league's best players in history. He won five championships, one MVP and countless other honors in his 20-year career.

The younger Bryant made headlines when he entered the NBA draft out of high school in 1996. While many felt it was a mistake Joe Bryant remained confident in his son. After some early-career struggles, Kobe developed into an All-Star.

From 2000-02, he teamed with Shaquille O'Neal to win three straight titles with the Lakers. He later won two more championships as the team's primary player.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com