BREAKING: Kobe Bryant’s father passes away at age 69.

Joe Bryant, 69, a former NBA player and WNBA coach, passed away last week. The father of renowned NBA player Kobe Bryant, Bryant, had just experienced a severe stroke, La Salle head coach Fran Dunphy revealed to the Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday.

The La Salle men’s basketball team posted on X, saying, “We are saddened to announce the passing of La Salle basketball great Joe Bryant.”

In the 1975 NBA Draft, Bryant was selected by the Warriors in the first round after playing his NCAA ball at La Salle. After going No. 14 overall, he played in the NBA for eight seasons. He averaged 8.7 points per game while playing with the Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers, and Houston Rockets, totaling 606 games played. After that, Bryant traveled to Europe and began playing for several Italian teams.

After coming back to the United States, the former NBA player made the decision to become a coach. Before going back to his old mater to coach from 1993 to 1996, he made one stop. After that, he was the men’s basketball coach for the semi-pro Las Vegas Rattlers.

Before taking over the Los Angeles Sparks WNBA franchise, Bryant coached the now-defunct Boston Frenzy. He guided the Sparks to a 25–9 record and a trip to the Conference Finals in 2006. He not only coached in the United States but also in Thailand and Japan. The 2015 season marked his final stint as Rizing Fukuoka’s head coach in the BJ League.

Four years have gone since Bryant’s son Kobe and granddaughter Gigi perished in a California helicopter disaster.

ALSO: Bronny James reveals the Lakers’ strategy amid Hawks victory, ending 3-point skid in Summer League win.

On Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA 2K25 Summer League competition, 87-86.

With 12 points from 5 of 11 shots, Bronny James assisted in leading the Lakers to their first league victory of the summer. The Hawks have not yet won.

James stated on the floor following the game, “It was about being solid on the defensive end.” Every time we played, we attempted to show up and play well. Excellent result.

James has only averaged five points per game and was 0-11 from three point range going into the matchup. During the performance, he not only more than doubled his average but also made his first 3-pointer of the NBA. James was held scoreless in the third quarter until making the shot in the fourth. By the end of the night, he would hit another.

“I simply wanted to put all the other shots I missed behind me,” he remarked. “Ignore all the games we dropped. Every time I step onto the court, I try to play my game and give it my all. I tried that tonight, and it worked out nicely.

But James went through several “first-evers” in the NBA during the match. After a brief exchange with a court official, he was also given a technical foul. The extra free throws for Atlanta could have had a significant impact on the final score considering how tight the game ended up being, even if James’ tech was informal and no arguments broke out.

The Lakers will next play the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bronny’s home team, in Las Vegas on Thursday. ESPN will stream the opening tip live, starting at 9 p.m. ET.

James, a true freshman at USC who averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 19.4 minutes per game, is joining the Lakers after just one season there. mainly playing off the bench for the Trojans throughout the previous collegiate basketball season, with just six starts and three games with ten or more points.

James was a four-star prospect for high school basketball at Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, Los Angeles (CA). According to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that takes into account all four of the main recruiting media organizations, he was the No. 6 ranked point guard and the No. 25 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle.

During one of USC’s offseason workouts in early July, he experienced a rapid heart attack, which sent his college career into a terrifying start. He missed the first eight games of the season, but he eventually recovered to play at his best, shooting 36.6% from the field in his 25 games as a two-way role player for the Trojans.