Joseph Washington "Jellybean" Bryant (born October 19, 1954, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a retired American (United States) professional basketball player who is now head coach of the top-level Italian (Serie A (basketball)) club Solsonica Rieti (Nuova AMG Sebastiani Basket Rieti). He had previously been head coach of the WNBA (Womens National Basketball Association)s Los Angeles Sparks, where he was the head coach from August 22, 2005 until April 4, 2007. He is the father of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant.