Kobe Bryant’s Dad, Joe Bryant, Dies Four Years After His Son Passed Away

Joe Bryant, father to NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who also boasted an eight-year NBA career of his own, has died at age 69. His death comes just four-and-a-half years after his son Kobe and granddaughter Gigi were tragically killed in a January 2020 helicopter crash along with seven others. La Salle head coach Fran Dunphy confirmed to the Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday that Bryant died from a massive stroke.

The Philadelphia native, nicknamed “Jellybean” for his love of sweets, began his basketball career at John Bartram High School and then at La Salle University before going on to be selected by the Golden State Warriors in the first round and 14th overall pick of the 1975 NBA draft. After having his rights sold just four months later, the six-foot-nine forward spent eight seasons in the NBA, playing first with his hometown team the Philadelphia 76ers for four years, then San Diego Clippers and Houston Rockets. Bryant went on to make a name for himself in Europe after departing from the Rockets following the 1982-83 season. For a decade, Bryant played for Italian and French teams before returning to the U.S. to pursue a coaching career. Most notably, he served as head coach of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks from 2005 to 2007.

Jerry West, a 3-time Hall of Fame selection and the NBA logo, dies at 86

Jerry West, who was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame three times in a storied career as a player and executive and whose silhouette is considered to be the basis of the NBA logo, died Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles Clippers announced.

He was 86.

West, nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” for his late-game exploits as a player, went into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1980 and again as a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic Team in 2010. He will be enshrined for a third time later this year as a contributor.

West was “the personification of basketball excellence and a friend to all who knew him,” the Clippers said in announcing his death. West’s wife, Karen, was by his side when he died, the Clippers said.

He was an All-Star in all 14 of his NBA seasons, a 12-time All-NBA selection, part of the 1972 Lakers team that won a championship, an NBA Finals MVP as part of a losing team in 1969 and was selected as part of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.

West was general manager of eight NBA championship teams with the Los Angeles Lakers, helping build the “Showtime” dynasty. He also worked in the front offices of the Memphis Grizzlies, the Golden State Warriors and the Clippers. Among his many, many highlights as an executive with the Lakers: he drafted Magic Johnson and James Worthy, then brought in Kobe Bryant and eventually Shaquille O’Neal to play alongside Bryant.

Even in the final years of his life, West was considered basketball royalty. He routinely sat courtside at Summer League games in Las Vegas, often watching many games in a day while greeting long lines of players — LeBron James among them — who would approach to shake his hand and pay him respect.

“The game transcends many things,” West said while attending Summer League last year. “The players change, the style of play may change, but the respect that you learn in this game never changes.”

He’s 25th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, and while the league has never confirmed that West was in fact the model for its logo — a player dribbling a ball, set against a red-and-blue background — the league has never said otherwise, either.

“While it’s never been officially declared that the logo is Jerry West,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in 2021, “it sure looks a lot like him.”

LeBron James Becomes First NBA Player to Score 40,000 Career Regular Season Points

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers recently faced off against the Denver Nuggets. James seemingly broke a record in the league during the game, becoming the first player to reach 40,000 career regular-season points. After the game, James spoke about his game that night, saying the milestone was “bittersweet” due to the Lakers’ loss. “Being the first player to do something, it’s pretty cool in this league, just knowing the history, the greats that’s come through the league, and then you see some of the greats on the floor tonight, it was great to compete,” said James.

LeBron continued, “But for me, the main thing, as always, is to win, and I hated that it had to happen in a defeat.” 

source: NBA

Former NBA Star Rajon Rondo Reportedly Arrested on Drug and Weapons Charges

Over the weekend, former NBA point guard Rajon Rondo was arrested in Indiana’s Jackson County for misdemeanor charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, drug paraphernalia, and marijuana, as reported by WDRB-TV. The arrest occurred during a routine traffic stop when a trooper detected the smell of marijuana. A subsequent search uncovered a firearm and drug paraphernalia. Rondo, 37, was taken to a Jackson County jail, where he posted bond. It was noted that Rondo was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a no-contact order against him. In 2022, Rondo had an emergency protective order filed against him, which was later dismissed after an agreement was reached between the parties.