Kobe Bryant wasn’t the first person in his family to play in the NBA as his dad Joe Bryant played for eight years, far before Kobe even knew what basketball was.
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Joe and Kobe reportedly weren’t always on the best of terms, especially after Kobe married Vanessa, something his parents didn’t approve of because of the fact that she wasn’t from the African Amreican community.
However, Kobe wasn’t swayed by his parents and chose to follow his love life anyway. Joe’s basketball genes definitely flowed over to Kobe, and as it turns out, Joe had some memorable moments and highlights during his NBA career too.
Kobe Bryant apparently was mending rift with dad Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant before deathhttps://t.co/AlK4ZoZhYs
— the almighty (@TheMSeries1) February 24, 2020
When Joe Jellybean Bryant Posterized Kareem Abdul Jabbar During Magic Johnson’s Debut When Kobe Bryant Was An Infant
Joe Bryant’s NBA career wasn’t particularly impressive as he played for a few different teams during his time. He was more of a role player than anything, and he never really took off the way people may have expected.
His flashy game charazterized who he was as despite coming in at the size of a forward, he often played like a guar, displaying skills that you wouldn’t expect from someone of that physique. That’s why he was nicknamed ‘Jellybean’ as well.
One of his finest moments came during Magic Johnson’s NBA debut when he dunked all over another Laker legend in Kareem Abdul Jabbar.
Joe “Jellybean” Bryant was often too flashy for his own good, but it did make for some nice highlights. He was a 6’9 forward playing like a PG before it was cool.
NBA Career Stats
Points: 5,252 (8.7 ppg)
Rebounds: 2,441 (4.0 rpg)
Assists: 1,049 (1.7 apg) pic.twitter.com/42IsiiCRJW— Hoop History (@HoopHistory44) August 20, 2021
Joe Bryant played for the Philadelphia 76ers, the San Diego Clippers, and the Houston rockets during his years. His career best scoring year came in the 1981-82 season when he averaged 11.8 points a game as a Clipper.
