Joe Bryant, Father of Late NBA Star Kobe Bryant, Dies

Former College and NBA Player Was 66

La Salle University Announces Death

La Salle University announced that Joe Bryant, the father of the late NBA great Kobe Bryant, has died at the age of 66. Joe Bryant was a standout college basketball player at La Salle and played in the NBA for eight seasons.

Kobe Bryant credited his father with teaching him the game of basketball from a young age. Joe Bryant was a "great basketball mind," Kobe Bryant told ESPN in 2010.

The cause of Joe Bryant's death has not yet been released. No further details are available at this time.