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Joe Bryant
Joe Bryant 2010
Personal information
Born October 19 1954 () (age 70)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died July 16, 2024 (aged 69)
Calabasas, California
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight 185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school John Bartram
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
College La Salle (1973–1975)
NBA Draft: Selected by the Golden State Warriors
Playing career 1975–1992

Position

Power forward / Center
Number 23, 22
Coaching career 2003–present
Career history
As player: 1975–1979 Philadelphia 76ers
1979–1982 San Diego Clippers
1982–1983 Houston Rockets
1984–1986 AMG Sebastiani Rieti
1986–1987 Standa Reggio Calabria
1987–1989 Olimpia Pistoia
1989–1991 Reggiana
1991–1992 FC Mulhouse Basket
As coach: 2003–2004 Las Vegas Rattlers
2004–2005 Boston Frenzy
2005–2006 Los Angeles Sparks
2007–2009 Tokyo Apache
2010–2011 Levanga Hokkaido
2011 Los Angeles Sparks
2012 Bangkok Cobras
2013 Chang Thailand Slammers
2015 Rizing Fukuoka
Career highlights and awards
  • Points 12,584 (14.8 ppg)
  • Rebounds 4,012 (4.7 rpg)
  • Assists 1,595 (1.9 apg)

Joseph Washington "Jellybean" Bryant (October 19, 1954 – July 16, 2024) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played for the Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers, and Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also played for several teams in Italy and one in France. Bryant was the head coach of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks from 2005 to 2007 and returned to that position for the remainder of the 2011 WNBA season. Bryant also coached in Italy, Japan, and Thailand. His son, legendary basketball player Kobe Bryant, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Philadelphia 76ers (1975–1979)

After starring at La Salle University, he was drafted by the Golden State Warriors but traded to his hometown team, the Philadelphia 76ers, where he played for four seasons. In his second season, on the 1976–77 76ers, he played alongside NBA all-stars Julius Erving, Doug Collins, and George McGinnis. The team reached the 1977 NBA Finals, eventually losing to the Portland Trail Blazers, 4 games to 2.

San Diego Clippers (1979–1982)

Before the 1979–1980 season, the Sixers traded Bryant to the San Diego Clippers, where he spent three seasons. In the first game of the 1979–1980 season, played at home against the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant memorably had a slam dunk over center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Houston Rockets (1982-1983)

Following the 1981 season, Bryant was traded to the Houston Rockets, where he played one season, his last in the NBA.

Europe (1983–1992)

Bryant played overseas in Italy and France from 1982 to 1992. He ended his playing career in 1992.

Coaching career

Akiba Hebrew Academy (1992–1993)

Bryant's first coaching position, after returning from Europe, was when he was deployed with the U.S. Armed Forces in Italy. In the 1992–1993 season, he served as the head coach of the women's varsity team at Akiba Hebrew Academy in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania.

La Salle Explorers (1993–1996)

In June 1993, he left Akiba and accepted an assistant coach position at his alma mater, La Salle University. On May 7, 1996, Bryant resigned from La Salle after his son Kobe announced his intentions to enter the NBA out of high school.

Diablos (2003)

Bryant served as coach for the Diablos during the 2003 season of SlamBall, in which the team posted a record of 4–6 and finished seventh place.[

Los Angeles Sparks (2005–2007, 2011)

On August 22, 2005, Bryant, who was an assistant coach for the WNBA team Los Angeles Sparks, was named the head coach, succeeding previous coach (and former 76ers teammate) Henry Bibby. During the 2006 season, he led the Sparks to a 25–9 record and a Conference Finals berth. However, in April 2007, Bryant was replaced as Sparks head coach by Michael Cooper, who had previously helmed the team in 1999–2004.

In 2011, Bryant returned to the Sparks, first as an assistant coach, but later as the head coach for the rest of the 2011 season.

International coaching career (2007–2015)

Bryant spent the 2007–2008 season coaching the Tokyo Apache of the Japanese BJ League, during which the team was the runner-up in the playoffs.

On July 3, 2009, Bryant signed a contract with his first Italian club, Sebastiani Rieti. The 2009–2010 season was also the club's last.

Bryant served as the head coach of Japanese professional basketball team Levanga Hokkaido during the 2010–2011 JBL season.

In January 2012, Bryant was hired as coach of the Bangkok Cobras in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL). He coached for the 2012–2013 season.

Bryant served as the head coach of Rizing Fukuoka of the BJ League during 2015.

Head coaching record

Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %

WNBA

Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Los Angeles Sparks 2005 6 4 2 .667 4th in Western 2 0 2 .000 Lost Conference Semifinals
Los Angeles Sparks 2006 34 25 9 .735 1st in Western 5 2 3 .400 Lost Conference Finals
Los Angeles Sparks 2011 24 11 13 .458 5th in Western

Japan

Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Tokyo Apache 2005–2006 40 20 20 .500 3rd
Tokyo Apache 2006–2007 40 12 28 .300 8th
Tokyo Apache 2007–2008 44 27 17 .614 2nd in Eastern 2 1 1 .500 Runners-up
Tokyo Apache 2008–2009 52 33 19 .635 2nd in Eastern 4 3 1 .750 Runners-up
Rera Kamuy Hokkaido 2010–2011 22 6 16 .273 Fired
Rizing Fukuoka 2014–2015 32 9 23 .281 9th in Western

Personal life and death

In 1975, Bryant married Pam Cox, sister of former NBA player Chubby Cox. Their son, Kobe, was also an NBA player, who was subsequently inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Bryant also had two daughters, Sharia and Shaya. The family is Catholic. Through his wife Pam, he was the uncle-in-law of professional basketball player John Cox IV.

Joe Bryant died on July 16, 2024 at the age of 69. While no official cause of death was announced, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that according to La Salle coach Fran Dunphy, Bryant had recently suffered a major stroke.

References

  1. Jump up^
  2. Jump up^
  3. Jump up^ http://www.basketball-reference.com
  4. Jump up^ Bryant was traded for what eventually turned out to the first pick in the 1986 NBA draft, although prior to the draft the 76ers had traded the pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who selected Brad Daugherty. [1]
  5. Jump up^
  6. Jump up^
  7. Jump up^
  8. Jump up^ Bangkok team hires Kobe’s dad
  9. Jump up^ Bryant out as Rizing Fukuoka coach

External links

  • Joe Bryant at Basketball-Reference.com
  • Joe Bryant WNBA Coach Profile
  • Joe Bryant statistics in Italian Championship
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