Remembering Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, NBA Player/European Player and Father of Kobe Bryant
Joe Bryant passed away on Tuesday at the age of 69, reportedly succumbing to a massive stroke. Younger fans may only think of Joe Bryant as the father of Pantheon member Kobe Bryant, who tragically died with his daughter Gianna and seven other passengers in a helicopter crash four years ago--but "Jellybean," as Joe was known, had a long professional basketball playing career, including eight seasons in the NBA and 10 seasons in Europe. Kobe's middle name Bean is derived from Joe's nickname. For clarity in this article, I will refer to Joe and Kobe by their first names.
Joe was ahead of his time as an athletic, slender forward who could shoot the jump shot but also attack the hoop off of the dribble. After averaging 20.3 ppg and 11.1 rpg in two seasons at LaSalle, he was drafted by the Golden State Warriors as an underclassman Hardship selection (now referred to as Early Entry) with the 14th overall pick in the 1975 NBA Draft, but the Warriors traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers before the start of the 1975-76 season. Joe averaged 7.4 ppg in a solid rookie season, and he scored 7.7 ppg in three playoff games as the 76ers reached the postseason for the first time since 1971. George McGinnis was the 76ers' best player that season, with fellow All-Star Doug Collins serving as a strong second option.
The ABA-NBA merger happened prior to the 1976-77 season, and in the aftermath of the merger the 76ers acquired Julius Erving, the three-time ABA regular season MVP who had shared that honor with McGinnis in 1975. Joe's role was reduced on this star-studded team, but he was part of a talented bench that became known as the "Bomb Squad." The 76ers lost 4-2 in the NBA Finals to a Portland Trail Blazers team featuring Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas.
Joe played two more seasons for the 76ers before they traded him to the San Diego Clippers for a 1986 first round draft pick that the 76ers later traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who selected Brad Daugherty. San Diego's coach was Gene Shue, who was Joe's first coach with the 76ers, and San Diego's leading scorer was World B. Free, a fellow "Bomb Squad" member with the 76ers. Joe spent three seasons with the Clippers, averaging a career-high 11.8 ppg in 1981-82.
The Clippers traded Joe to the Houston Rockets on June 28, 1982, and he finished his NBA career by averaging 10.0 ppg for the 1982-83 Rockets. Joe spent the next 10 years playing professionally in Europe. After his playing career ended, Joe held a variety of coaching positions in America and overseas, including three seasons as coach of the WNBA's L.A. Sparks (2005-06, 2011). Joe led the Sparks to the Western Conference Finals in 2006.
There is no doubt that Kobe learned a lot about basketball from his
father and from his father's journey, and it is evident that Kobe's
experiences growing up in Italy had a significant influence on him. Joe was often frustrated by his relatively limited role during his NBA career, and it is not a stretch to say that Kobe's determination to be the number one option at all times was fueled in part by refusing to be relegated to a subordinate role the way that Joe had been.
The Bryant family has suffered the loss of three members in the past four years, and I wish them peace and comfort in this difficult time.
Labels: Doug Collins, George McGinnis, Joe Bryant, Julius Erving, Kobe Bryant, Philadelphia 76ers, World B. Free
posted by David Friedman @ 1:24 PM
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