Michael Maclurcan
The father of renowned American basketball star Kobe Bryant is Joe Bryant (Joseph Washington Bryant). Joe Bryant had a long career as a professional, despite not being as successful as his son.
Joe Bryant| Early Life, Family & Education
Joseph Washington Bryant, also referred to as Joe Bryant, was born on October 19, 1954, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the son of Joseph Washington Bryant and Georgia Marie Bryant.
Although Joe’s father was originally from Georgia, his parents had migrated to Pennsylvania before Joe was born. His parents raised him in Philadelphia, and he stayed there until he made his NBA debut.
After completing middle school at a nearby community college, Bryant continued his study at John Bartram High School. Later, he went for his higher studies at La Salle University in the same state.
But after completing his second year, he decided to leave school.
Joe Bryant| Basketball Career
Joe Bryant played basketball for the La Salle Explorers and John Bartram High School before signing with the NBA. Bryant has a very successful career while he was a member of the Explorers.
Joe played in 26 games during his first season, scoring 18.7 points and grabbing 10.8 rebounds each time. During his sophomore season, his effectiveness significantly increased.
The power forward from Philadelphia decided to enter the 1975 NBA draft after completing his second season because he felt safe enough. He was chosen by the Golden State Warriors with the 14th overall pick in the first round of the draft.
Before 1983, Joe also referred to as “Jellybean,” participated in the NBA for almost eight seasons. Sadly, his NBA career started poorly and didn’t take off until the sixth season.
But his final seasons were quite admirable. After being released by the Houston Rockets, he departed for Europe to continue his basketball career.
Bryant played league basketball for several clubs in France and Italy for almost eight years. He ultimately decided to cease participating in all games kinds in 1992 and started a coaching profession.
Coaching Career
Joe gained his first coaching experience in 1992 when he was appointed the US Army’s coach in Italy. Soon after, he returned to America and accepted a position as head coach at the Akiba Hebrew Academy in Pennsylvania.
Later on, he coached a variety of teams on both a national and international level, including the Los Angeles Sparks WNBA team in 2011. He ultimately decided to terminate his coaching career in 2015 after serving as the head coach of the Japanese team Rizing Fukuoka.
Joe Bryant| Age, Weight & Height
Joe Bryant is 68 years old. Bryant stands 2.06 meters tall (or 6 feet 9 inches).
Despite this, he is relatively thin for his height. The formerly pro athlete weighs roughly 185 lbs currently (84 kg).
Joe has also lost all of his hair and is completely bald, possibly due to aging. To further on his facial features, let’s say that he wears glasses and has dark brown eyes. In addition, despite shaving clean, he frequently grows out a tiny goatee to boost his image.
Joe Bryant| Net Worth and Salary
Joe Bryant’s net worth is estimated by several online sources to be about $5 million. Given that he had a lengthy professional career that lasted more than fifteen years and was highly selected by the NBA, it might be correct to state that he earned a respectable income playing basketball.
Additionally, he earned more money during his nearly twenty-year coaching career.
The richest family member is Kobe, who has a net worth of about $600 million.
Joe Bryant| Personal Life and Relationships
The well-known American socialite Pamela Bryant, sometimes known as Pam, is wed to Joe Bryant. Since being married in 1975, they have been together for close to 50 years without ever divorcing.
Pam and Joe both hail from Philadelphia, and the two were acquainted before Joe started his NBA career. When Pam was visiting her cousin, Joe saw her a lot, but he wasn’t brave enough to approach her at first.
But he had previously told his friends that he would eventually wed her. In 1974, he finally succeeded in getting her to accept his marriage proposal after multiple failed attempts. Before getting married in 1975, they dated for about seven months.
The children of Joe and Pam Bryant were three. Their first child, Sharia, was conceived in 1977, a year after their nuptials. On July 30, 1977, they also welcomed their second child, Shaya Bryant.
Each of their daughters has since married and given birth to three children. They are successful business owners and still have a close relationship with their parents despite being married.
Last but not least, on August 23, 1978, they welcomed their legendary son Kobe Bryant into the world. Later, he overtook his father in popularity within the basketball community.
Kobe’s Life & Career
Kobe Bryant, a well-known NBA player, was born to Pam and Joe Bryant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When Kobe was six years old, his entire family relocated to Italy after spending some of his early years there.
Young Kobe frequently visited the Italian professional basketball club where his father played to see him in action. While residing in Italy, where football was most popular, he was good at football despite having begun playing basketball at the age of three.
He was still passionate about basketball, though. Arthur Cox II, his maternal grandfather, frequently mailed him NBA game tapes that he enjoyed watching.
When Kobe moved back to the United States in the early 1990s, he joined the Lower Merion High School basketball team and soon gained notoriety as a shooting guard. Without attending college, he immediately entered the NBA draft.
Although the Charlotte Hornets had selected him in the draft, he spent his whole playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers. With five NBA championship rings under his belt in 2016, he retired as a Lakers legend.
He also played in the NBA for 18 years and was twice named MVP of the Finals. He is regarded as one of the best players of all time by basketball fans all over the world because of his accomplishments.
Sadly, he only had a very limited lifespan. While traveling there to watch a crucial basketball game in 2020, Kobe perished in a helicopter crash near the Calabasas, California, mountains. Eleven additional individuals, including his daughter Gianna, also perished in the collision.
Upon his passing, he was only 41 years old.
Joe’s Relationship with Kobe
One shouldn’t look too deeply into Joe’s complicated relationship with his son Kobe. He was a hero to Magic Johnson and Michael Johnson in their youth, but by the time he was a teenager, his son had learned to detest him.
At first, Joe would support Kobe when he was still in school and despaired of ever being a successful basketball player. Kobe went on to do many things that he had never imagined completing as a child with Joe’s support and encouragement.
However, Joe wasn’t always his son’s favorite. Joe tried to be a good father to his son, but sometimes he lost his temper.
One of the earliest fights started when Kobe introduced Vanessa Cornejo, his fiancée, and promised them he would marry her in 2001.
Because Joe and his wife didn’t like their relationship, Kobe ignored them for more than two years. Joe and his son were able to become closer after their granddaughter Natalia was born in 2003.
Kobe, though, routinely made disparaging statements about his parents in the years that followed. He once admitted to having a strained connection with his parents to the media.
Similarly to this, he earlier argued that parents should continue to be parents and not their children’s managers—directly referencing his parents’ involvement in his professional life.
When Joe and his wife decided to sell Kobe’s sports treasures to an auction house without informing him, their other major argument began in 2013. After the incident, Kobe took control of everything he owned and charged his parents with being at fault.
However, Joe afterward expressed regret for his oversight.
Had Joe and Kobe reconciled?
Some media outlets asserted that Joe and his son had patched up their relationship just before Kobe’s sad death. The ceremony to retire Kobe’s jersey numbers and his final NBA game were two important events that they had missed.
As a result, it was still uncertain if they had atoned. It cannot be disputed, though, that Joe and Pam, as parents, were heartbroken upon learning of their son’s demise and found it challenging to cope.
They were not even allowed to talk to the media or attend their son’s burial on February 7, 2020. But eventually, they did attend the public memorial service held on February 24, 2020, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
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FAQs
Was Joe Bryant a talented athlete?
It would be inaccurate to claim that Joe Bryant always delivered in his professional endeavors. He had exceptional scores and rebound points during his college career, too, making him one of the top all-around.
So, even if he had trouble playing well during his professional basketball career, Joe Bryant was still a good player in general.
Why did Joe Bryant go by the name Jellybean?
Joe was one of the tallest men in his high school, but he was also incredibly agile and capable of a variety of basketball plays. His friend began dubbing him Jellybean as he effortlessly moved around the court.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Joseph Washington Bryant |
| Known As | Joe Bryant |
| Nickname | Jellybean |
| Date of Birth | October 19, 1954 |
| Age | 68 years old |
| Gender | Male |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Height | 2.06 m (6 feet 9 inches) |
| Weight | 175 lb (80 kg) |
| Zodiac Sign | Libra |
| Birth Place | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the USA |
| Religion | Christian |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Eye Color | Light Brown |
| Skin Color | Dark |
| Tattoos | No |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Pam Bryant |
| Kids | Sharia Bryant, Shaya Bryant, Kobe Bryant |
| Father’s Name | Joseph Washington Bryant Sr. |
| Mother’s Name | Georgia Marie |
| High School | John Bartram High School (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) |
| College Name | La Salle University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) |
| Profession | Basketball Player |
| NBA draft | 1975 / Round: 1 / 14th pick overall |
| Active Years | 1975 – 1991 |
| Jersey Numbers | 22, 23 |
| Net Worth | $5 million |
| Social Media | Not available |
| Merch of Kobe Bryant | The Mamba Mentality: How I Play (Hardcover), Kobe Bryant: The Greatest of All (Prime Video) |
| Last Update | November 2022 |
