Joe Bryant, the father of the late NBA icon Kobe Bryant and a former basketball player, died at the age of 69.

According to La Salle University head coach Fran Dunphy, Joe recently suffered a severe stroke, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer. Joe attended La Salle and Bartram High School before spending several seasons in the NBA.

La Salle confirmed the news in a post on X, saying, “We are saddened to announce the passing of La Salle basketball great Joe Bryant.”

“Joe played for the Explorers from 1973 to 1975 and served on our coaching staff from 1993 to 1996. We will deeply miss him as a treasured part of the Explorer family.

In January 2020, a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, claimed the lives of Bryant’s son Kobe and his granddaughter Gianna. The NBA great died at the age of 41, while Gianna was just 13 years old.

The Golden State Warriors selected Joe in the first round of the NBA draft in 1975, following his graduation from La Salle. However, he never played for the California franchise, which traded his rights to the Philadelphia 76ers four months after the selection.

Joe spent eight seasons in the NBA with the 76ers, San Diego Clippers, and Houston Rockets before heading overseas to play in Italy and France. When Kobe was 13, the Bryant family returned to the United States and settled in the Philadelphia region, where he attended Lower Merion High School, a nationally regarded high school.

Joe began teaching basketball following his playing career, both internationally and domestically, including a one-year tenure as head coach of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.

In addition to Kobe, Joe and his wife, Pam Bryant, have two children, Sharia and Shaya.