Joe Bryant given heartfelt message after death by WNBA team he coached

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Sparks made sure to give Joe "Jellybean" Bryant a heartfelt sendoff after news of his death rocked the basketball community on Tuesday.

Sparks head coach Curt Miller took time at the end of his pregame press conference to shout out the father of the late Kobe Bryant and explained what the elder Bryant meant to him as a young basketball fan. Additionally, Miller reminded fans what Bryant meant to the Sparks organization, having coached the team from 2005-2007 and in 2011.

"I'll end [this press conference] with condolences to Joe Bryant and the entire Bryant family," Miller began. "Obviously a former head coach with the Sparks, obviously a tremendous name in basketball. … I'm a Western Pennsylvania native.

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"I grew up as a Philadelphia 76ers fan for a long, long time. So Jellybean was, you know, someone that I grew up loving the 76ers when I could follow basketball and fell in love, you know, at a very young age with this game. And not everything was always televised and [for] some of those CBS games at 11:30 p.m., I would sneak back out of my bedroom and try to find a TV where I wouldn't wake up my parents to watch some of those great 76ers teams.

"So condolences to the whole Bryant family, obviously a very special name here in L.A., but also to our franchise and that he coached three years here too as a head coach and is a part of our legacy forever. So condolences to the Bryant family."

Bryant died after suffering a "massive stroke" at age 69, as was reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer. His death comes more than four years after the death of his son Kobe and granddaughter Gianna, along with seven others, in a helicopter crash just outside of Los Angeles.

"We are saddened to announce the passing of La Salle basketball great Joe Bryant. Joe played for the Explorers from 1973-75 and was a member of our coaching staff from 1993-96. He was a beloved member of the Explorer family and will be dearly missed," the La Salle Men's Basketball team posted on X.

Before the Sparks' final home game before the WNBA All-Star Game and Olympic Break against the Seattle Storm, the team played a tribute video for their former head coach and observed a moment of silence for their former head coach. The elder Bryant was the coach of the Sparks for parts of three seasons: Six games in 2005, a full season in 2006 and 24 games during the 2011 season.

During his tenure with the Sparks, Bryant was an assistant coach in the 2005 and 2011 seasons. He replaced Henry Bibby toward the conclusion of the 2005 season and Jennifer Gillom after 10 games in the 2011 season.

In his full year as a head coach, Bryant led Los Angeles to a 25-9 record and a trip to the Western Conference Finals berth. However, the Sparks were eliminated by the Sacramento Monarch, who were defeated by the Detroit Shock in the WNBA Finals.

Despite his success, Bryant was replaced by Michael Cooper, who had coached the team from 1999-2004. Cooper had immense success leading the Sparks during his first tenure patrolling the sidelines, coaching the team to back-to-back championships in 2001 and 2002.

Originally drafted No. 14 overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 1975 NBA Draft, Bryant spent time with the 76ers, the then-San Diego Clippers and the Houston Rockets in his eight years in the NBA. From 1983 to his retirement in 1992, Bryant spent time playing basketball in Itay, where his son Kobe would learn to love the game as well.