FORMER NBA player and father of the late Kobe Bryant, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, has died at 69 years old.

This was confirmed last Tuesday by his alma mater, La Salle University.

ESPN cited basketball coach Fran Dunphy, the head coach at La Salle, as saying that Joe had suffered a massive stroke.

Kobe, in his lifetime, shared that Joe was the one who taught him how to view the game, how to prepare for it, and how to execute his plays.

NBA reports showed that Joe had spent a total of eight seasons with them throughout three different franchises with the 76ers, Clippers, and Rockets, and was also the head coach for the WNBA’s LA Sparks for a time.

La Salle University also released a statement of mourning, sharing that Joe had played for their team, the Explorers, from 1973 to 1975, and soon became a part of their coaching staff from 1993 up to 1996.

Many have since expressed their condolences and shared messages about Joe’s passing, including Kobe’s widow, Vanessa Bryant.

On her Instagram story, Bryant said: “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. Our prayers go out to family.”

Many have speculated that Kobe and his father were estranged for a time as seen in how, the NY Post reports, neither Joe nor Kobe’s mother Pamela attended his and Vanessa’s weddings, as well as in Kobe showing his disappointment over his parents auctioning off some of his items for sale.

The Sun, however, said that the two had been trying to rebuild their relationship before Kobe tragically passed away in 2020.

World shocked over Kobe’s death in 2020

Fans from all over the world were heartbroken when, on January 26, 2020, Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died after their helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California.

At the time, according to the KCRA, they had been on their way to Gianna’s basketball game at the Mamba Sports Academy in California, but the helicopter crashed reportedly due to the prevailing foggy conditions at the time.

Several others also died in the crash, such as the pilot, Ara Zobayan, the baseball coach of Orange Coast College, John Altobelli, a few of Altobelli’s family members, and two of Gianna’s teammates, as well.

People viewed this day as the loss of such a great legend in the world of sports, but his and Joe’s legacies will continue to live on.