“Unfortunately, we (my father and I) don’t talk much,” said the late Kobe Bryant on his tumultuous relationship with his father, Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant, who was one of his early coaches before his time in the NBA. The relationship soured when Kobe decided to marry Vanessa against his parents’ wishes. Some say that both parties hashed out the differences before the unfortunate death of the Los Angeles Lakers legend, however, other reports refute that claim.

On X, NBA Central broke the news of Jellybean passing away due to a stroke at the age of 69. “Joe Bryant, former NBA player and father of Kobe Bryant, has passed away at the age of 69, per @PhillyInquirer”. The tragic news came only four and half years after Kobe and his daughter Gigi passed away in an unfortunate helicopter crash.

Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant played 606 NBA games with the Sixers, Clippers, and Rockets, averaging 8.7 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. While representing the La Salle Explorers for 2 years during his collegiate year, he played 55 games and averaged 20.3 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists.

Joe was Kobe’s first coach but their relationship was a talking point for a very long time. It became a public dispute when a company hired by his parents tried to auction off Kobe’s memorabilia.

Joe and Pamela, however, had to apologize later. “We regret our actions and statements related to the Kobe Bryant auction memorabilia,” Kobe’s parents released a joint statement in 2013. Even after apologizing, the relationship didn’t improve, as per the reports.

The fans are shocked by the unfortunate news of Joe’s passing they can’t seem to comprehend the fact that there is another death in the Bryant household so soon.

Fans remember Kobe Bryant’s father

Kobe Bryant said, “Our relationship is s**t“, after filing a lawsuit against Goldin, a company that tried to sell his memorabilia in association with his parents. The Lakers legend further detailed that he tried buying his parents a new house but apparently, it wasn’t enough. Some reports suggested that before Kobe passed away in 2020, Joe tried burying the hatchet. But there are no public statements to verify it. Sad about the whole public ordeal, a fan wrote on X, “RIP to Kobe’s dad. It’s sad that they weren’t able to resolve their issues before both of them left the world .”

Similarly, other fans also expressed the same sentiment. One fan wrote, “He is now with his son.” While the other fan was in pure shock, “RIP Jellybean! Damn!” Jellybean was a name given to Joe by his high school teammate because of his unorthodox agility. He played in Italy after his NBA stint was over, but moved back to Philadelphia when Kobe was 13 due to the latter’s exceptional hooping skills. Remembering his sacrifices as a parent and his efforts as a mentor to young Kobe Bryant, a fan stated, “Sad day, he raised a fine son. Kobe was a one of a kind!”

Apart from Joe’s public feud with Kobe, the NBA world also remembered Jellybean dunking on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Representing San Diego against the Lakers in 1979, Joe posterized Kareem in 3rd quarter. One fan mentioned it saying, “Never forget when he dunked on Kareem! Rest in Peace Joe “JellyBean” Bryant”

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.