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Joe Bryant

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Joe Bryant
Bryant coaching the Levanga Hokkaido in 2010
Personal information
Born (1954-10-19) October 19, 1954 (age 69)
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: 1st round, 14th overall pick
Selected by the Golden State Warriors
Playing career1975–1992
PositionPower forward / Center
Number23, 22
Coaching career2003–present
Career history
As player:
1975–1979Philadelphia 76ers
1979–1982San Diego Clippers
1982–1983Houston Rockets
1984–1986AMG Sebastiani Rieti
1986–1987Standa Reggio Calabria
1987–1989Olimpia Pistoia
1989–1991Reggiana
1991–1992FC Mulhouse Basket
As coach:
2003–2004Las Vegas Rattlers
2004–2005Boston Frenzy
2005–2006Los Angeles Sparks
2007–2009Tokyo Apache
2010–2011Levanga Hokkaido
2011Los Angeles Sparks
2012Bangkok Cobras
2013Chang Thailand Slammers
2015Rizing Fukuoka
Career NBA and Serie A statistics
Points12,584 (14.8 ppg)
Rebounds4,012 (4.7 rpg)
Assists1,595 (1.9 apg)
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Joseph Washington "Jellybean" Bryant (born October 19, 1954) is an American retired professional basketball player, current coach, and 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.[1] He returned to that position after Jennifer Gillom was fired by the Los Angeles Sparks on July 10, 2011. Bryant has also coached in Italy, Japan and in Thailand.

Pro 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.[2] 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 Sixers 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.[3] Bryant headed back to the West Coast when he was traded by the 76ers[4] to the San Diego Clippers, for whom he played from 1979–82. 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.

After a final NBA season with the Houston Rockets in 1983, Bryant headed to Europe, playing seven seasons in Italy with clubs of the Italian A1 League and the Italian A2 League. He played with the Italian clubs AMG Sebastiani Rieti (1984–86), Viola Reggio Calabria (1986–87), Pistoia (1987–89) and Reggio Emilia (1989–91). He twice had 53-point games with Pistoia in the 1987–88 season.

Bryant continued to play into his fifties, appearing in several games for the Boston Frenzy of the fledgling American Basketball Association.

Coaching career

Bryant's first coaching position after returning from Europe was in 1992–1993 as the head coach of the women's varsity team at Akiba Hebrew Academy in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania.[5] In June 1993, Bryant left Akiba and accepted an assistant coach position at his alma-mater, La Salle University.[6] 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.[7]

In January 2012, he became coach of the Bangkok Cobras in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL).[8] He also served as the head coach of Rizing Fukuoka of the bj league.[9]

Personal life

Joe Bryant is married to Pam Cox, sister of former NBA player Chubby Cox. They have two daughters and one son: Sharia, Shaya, and Kobe. Kobe became a consensus top 10 player of all time and won multiple NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. He also is the uncle of professional basketball player John Cox IV.

References

  1. ^ "ESPN.com – WNBA – Bryant out, Cooper Back in as Sparks Coach". ESPN.
  2. ^ "The evolution of Kobe Bryant – Ian Thomsen – SI.com". CNN. 2008-06-04. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
  3. ^ http://www.basketball-reference.com
  4. ^ 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. [1]
  5. ^ Charry, Rob (2004-02-27). "Coach Bryant? Akiba Once Led by Kobe's Dad". The Forward. The Forward. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
  6. ^ "Bryant Returns to LaSalle as Assistant". Philadelphia Daily News. Philadelphia Daily News. 1993-06-24. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  7. ^ Maffioli, Luca (2009-07-03). "Joe Bryant nuovo coach di Rieti" (in Italian). Sport Blog. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
  8. ^ Bangkok team hires Kobe’s dad
  9. ^ Bryant out as Rizing Fukuoka coach
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