La Salle University Athletics is saddened by the loss of men’s basketball legend Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, who passed away on Monday morning.
Bryant, the father of NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, who passed away in 2020, was a star player at La Salle from 1973-75. He was a key member of the 1975 East Coast Conference Championship team, earning the Explorers an NCAA Tournament berth.
“I am heartbroken by the sudden loss of my uncle,” said La Salle men’s basketball assistant coach and Bryant’s nephew, John Cox. “He was a basketball icon in the city of Philadelphia and someone I grew up admiring. The impact he has made both here at La Salle and in the Philly basketball community will be felt for years to come.”
A two-time First Team All-Big 5 selection in 1974 and 1975, Bryant led La Salle to a 22-7 record in 1975, including a Sugar Bowl Classic Championship in which he was named tournament MVP. The ’75 team climbed to as high No. 7 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll en route to La Salle’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 1968. He ranks 7th all-time in career rebounding average (11.9), 9th in scoring average (20.7), and 10th in career field goal percentage (48.6).
In just two seasons with the Explorers, the 6-9 forward scored 1,188 points. He twice earned National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District honors, in 1974 on the Third Team and in 1975 with First Team recognition. Bryant was drafted 14th overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 1975 National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft before being acquired by his hometown Philadelphia 76ers later that year.
Bryant played eight years in the NBA, spending four with the Sixers from 1975-79, and three with the San Diego Clippers (1979-82). His last season in the league was spent with the Houston Rockets before spending nine years overseas playing professionally in France and Italy. He averaged 8.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in 606 career NBA games.
Following his playing career, Bryant spent several years in various coaching roles, including time as an assistant on the Explorers’ staff from 1993-96. He also had two stints as head coach of the Women’s National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Sparks.
In 1981, Bryant was inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame.
