Joe Bryant

Joseph Washington Bryant (born October 19, 1954), nicknamed "Jellybean",[1] is an American former professional basketball player and current coach. He is the father of former Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. Bryant was the head coach of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks from August 22, 2005 until April 4, 2007[2] and returned to that position for the remainder of the 2011 WNBA season. Bryant has also coached in Italy, Japan, and Thailand.

Joe Bryant
Bryant coaching Levanga Hokkaido in 2010
Personal information
Born (1954-10-19) October 19, 1954
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolJohn Bartram
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
CollegeLa Salle (1973–1975)
NBA draft1975 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14th overall
Selected by the Golden State Warriors
Playing career1975–1991
PositionPower forward / Small forward
Number23, 22
Coaching career1992–present
Career history
As player:
1975–1979Philadelphia 76ers
1979–1982San Diego Clippers
1982–1983Houston Rockets
1983–1986AMG Sebastiani Rieti
1986–1987Standa Reggio Calabria
1987–1989Olimpia Pistoia
1989–1991Reggiana
As coach:
1992–1993Akiba Hebrew Academy
2003–2004Las Vegas Rattlers
2004–2005Boston Frenzy
2005–2007Los Angeles Sparks
2007–2009Tokyo Apache
2010–2011Levanga Hokkaido
2011Los Angeles Sparks
2012–2013Bangkok Cobras
2013–2014Chang Thailand Slammers
2014–2015Rizing Fukuoka
Career NBA statistics
Points5,252 (8.7 ppg)
Rebounds2,441 (4.0 rpg)
Assists1,049 (1.7 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Professional career

After starring at La Salle University, Bryant, a 6'9" (2.07 m) forward, was drafted in the first round by the Golden State Warriors in 1975.[3] Before the season started, though, he was dealt to his hometown team, the Philadelphia 76ers, with whom he played for four seasons. His 1976–77 76ers team, featuring NBA all-stars Julius Erving, Doug Collins, and George McGinnis, reached the NBA Finals, but eventually lost to the Portland Trail Blazers 4 games to 2.[4] Bryant headed to the West Coast when he was traded by the 76ers[5] to the San Diego Clippers, for whom he played from 1979 to 1982. In the first game of the 1979–80 season at home in San Diego, Bryant slam dunked on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, however, despite that and a 46-point effort by Bryant's Sixer/Clippers teammate World B. Free (then known as Lloyd Free), the Lakers won the game off a game winning sky hook by Abdul-Jabbar.

Coaching career

Bryant's first coaching position after returning from Europe came to him while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces in Italy. In the year of 1992–1993, he served as the head coach of the women's varsity team at Akiba Hebrew Academy in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania.[6] In June 1993, he left Akiba and accepted an assistant coach position at his alma-mater, La Salle University.[7] Bryant served as coach for the Diablos in the 2003 Season of SlamBall.

On August 22, 2005, Bryant, who had been serving as the assistant coach to the Los Angeles Sparks team in the Women's National Basketball Association, was named Head Coach of the Sparks, 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.

Bryant spent the 2007–08 season coaching the Tokyo Apache in Japan's professional basketball league the Japanese BJ League.

On July 3, 2009 he signed a contract with his first Italian club, Sebastiani Rieti.[8]

In January 2012, he became coach of the Bangkok Cobras in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL).[9] He also served as the head coach of Rizing Fukuoka of the bj league.[10]

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 %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Tokyo Apache 2005-06 402020.5003rd---– -
Tokyo Apache 2006-07 401228.3008th---– -
Tokyo Apache 2007-08 442717.6142nd in Eastern211.500 Runners-up
Tokyo Apache 2008-09 523319.6352nd in Eastern431.750 Runners-up
Rera Kamuy Hokkaido 2010-11 22616.273Fired---– -
Rizing Fukuoka 2014-15 32923.2819th in Western---– -

Personal life

In 1975, Bryant married Pam Cox, sister of former NBA player Chubby Cox. Bryant's son, Kobe, won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. Joe also has two daughters, Sharia and Shaya. Through his wife Pam, he is the uncle of professional basketball player John Cox IV. His son Kobe and granddaughter Gianna died on January 26, 2020 after a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.

References
  1. Martinez, Nico (January 29, 2020). "Kobe's Father, Joe Bryant, Seen For The First Time Since Son and Granddaughter's Death". fadeawayworld.net. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  2. "ESPN.com – WNBA – Bryant out, Cooper Back in as Sparks Coach". ESPN.
  3. "The evolution of Kobe Bryant – Ian Thomsen – SI.com". CNN. 2008-06-04. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
  4. https://www.basketball-reference.com
  5. 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.
  6. Charry, Rob (2004-02-27). "Coach Bryant? Akiba Once Led by Kobe's Dad". The Forward. The Forward. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
  7. "Bryant Returns to LaSalle as Assistant". Philadelphia Daily News. Philadelphia Daily News. 1993-06-24.
  8. Maffioli, Luca (2009-07-03). "Joe Bryant nuovo coach di Rieti" (in Italian). Sport Blog. Archived from the original on 2010-09-27. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
  9. Bangkok team hires Kobe’s dad Archived 2012-01-13 at the Wayback Machine
  10. Bryant out as Rizing Fukuoka coach
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