JOE 'JELLYBEAN' BRYANT, FATHER OF KOBE BRYANT, DIES AT AGE 69

Former NBA player Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, the father of Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, has died. He was 69.

An official cause of Bryant's death was not announced as of Tuesday morning. La Salle University, where Bryant played and coached, said in a statement that Bryant "was a beloved member of the Explorer family and will be dearly missed."

Longtime Philadelphia-area basketball coach Fran Dunphy, who currently is the head coach at La Salle, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Bryant recently suffered a massive stroke.

Joe Bryant seldom appeared in public after Kobe Bryant's death in a helicopter crash over four years ago. The former Los Angeles Lakers superstar told ESPN in 2010 that Joe was "a great basketball mind" and credited his father with teaching him "from an early age how to view the game, how to prepare for the game and how to execute."

Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash in January 2020 in Calabasas, California, as the group was making its way to a basketball tournament. Joe and Pam Bryant, who were married for nearly a half-century, had a sometimes frosty relationship with Kobe, but they were in the front row for the memorial service in Los Angeles about a month after Kobe and Gianna died.

"Sending our condolences upon hearing the news of my father in law's passing," Vanessa Bryant, Kobe's widow, posted Tuesday on her Instagram story. "We hoped things would've been different. Although the times we spent together were few, he was always sweet and nice to be around. Kobe loved him very much."

Joe Bryant played and coached professionally both in the United States and internationally after starring at La Salle, where he averaged 20.8 points per game in two seasons with the Explorers. He was a first-round draft selection of the Golden State Warriors in 1975 before being acquired later that year by the Philadelphia 76ers.

"Joe 'Jellybean' Bryant was a local basketball icon, whose legacy on the court transcended his journey across Bartram High School, La Salle University, and his first four NBA seasons with the 76ers from 1975-79," the Sixers said in a statement. "Our condolences go out to the Bryant family."

Doug Young, a former high school teammate of Kobe, lauded Joe as the ultimate "role model."

"Joe was our JV coach at Lower Merion and I could not have asked for a more positive mentor, teacher, and role model," Young told ESPN. "It's difficult to overstate how much he influenced me and my teammates. He made basketball fun and made us all want to be better - he believed in us. I'll never forget his infectious smile, his bear hugs and the incredible bond he shared with Kobe. Growing up in Lower Merion, there was no family we loved and admired more than the Bryants - and that started with Joe."

The 6-foot-9 Bryant played parts of eight seasons in the NBA with the Sixers, Clippers and Rockets, averaging 8.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in 606 career games. He was a member of the 1976-77 Sixers team that lost to the Trail Blazers in the NBA Finals.

After playing nearly a decade overseas in France and Italy, Bryant started coaching in 1992. He was the head coach for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks for parts of three seasons and also coached in various roles at both the professional and college levels in the U.S., Japan and Thailand.

"I'm deeply saddened by the passing of Joe 'Jellybean' Bryant and join the basketball community in mourning a true Philly hoops legend," said Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem, Kobe Bryant's former agent. "Our friendship opened the door for me to represent Kobe as he entered the NBA, a memory I'll always cherish. Joe was a devoted husband, father and grandfather, whose warmth touched everyone he met."

ESPN's Dave McMenamin and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

- ESPN News Services

WADA CRITICISES U.S. UNDERMINING ANTI-DOPING EFFORTS

 The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) continued to vigorously defend its handling of a drugs case involving 23 Chinese swimmers on Friday while taking direct aim at the United States for trying to undermine the global anti-doping effort.

Following a New York Times report last month detailing events that led to Chinese swimmers avoiding sanctions after testing positive for a banned substance weeks before the Tokyo Olympics, WADA has been fending off criticism and accusations of a cover-up.

But during an extraordinary virtual meeting of its Foundation Board on Friday, WADA blasted its most vocal critic, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the organisation's chief Travis Tygart as hypocrites.

Canadian Dick Pound, who established WADA in 1999, came to his organisation's defence, accusing Tygart of lies and distortions and suggesting USADA's claims were politically motivated.

"On behalf of WADA, I am deeply disappointed and disgusted by the deliberate, lies and distortions coming from USADA, including that WADA has swept doping cases in China under the rug," said Pound, a former IOC member.

"That accusation, bereft of any truth, has but a single purpose to deliberately damage the reputation of WADA.

"To claim that WADA has in some way inappropriately favoured China is completely false," Pound added.

"USADA is financed by the United States government, that government currently has a chilly relationship with China's government. Could there be a connection?"

WADA has stood firm against criticism, arguing that it followed rules and procedures laid out in the anti-doping code and had no evidence to challenge China's findings.

The swimmers avoided sanctions after an investigation by Chinese authorities ruled the positive tests were the result of being inadvertently exposed to the drug through contamination.

A report determined all the swimmers who tested positive were staying at the same hotel where traces of trimetazidine (TMZ), which is found in heart medication, were discovered in the kitchen.

INDEPENDENT REVIEW 

WADA announced in April that it would launch an independent review of the matter led by Swiss prosecutor Eric Cottier.

"Trust comes from truth and transparency, not obfuscation and childish bluster." said Tygart, responding to WADA's comments.

"Unfortunately, we all know that when you are afraid of the facts, the classic response is to attack the messenger, distract from the real issues, and make it personal."

Tygart said the meeting today demonstrated that the global anti-doping system needed immediate reform.

"The world has legitimate questions about how WADA could turn a blind eye to 23 positive tests on the eve of the Tokyo Olympic Games, and today WADA reinforced those concerns by admitting they purposefully tried to keep this information from going public — the very definition of sweeping it under the carpet," he said.

WADA President Witold Banka said that when it comes to anti-doping, U.S. athletes are some of the least tested in the world and that USADA has used the contamination explanation to clear Americans of positive tests.

"There have been a number of environmental contamination cases in the past, in fact, some of the most elaborate and surprising contamination scenarios have come out of the U.S.," Banka said.

"Just to paint a picture of some inconsistent rule implementation in the U.S. 90% of American athletes, those in the professional leagues and college sport do not compete under the world anti-doping code."

NEYMAR TO MISS 2024 COPA AMÉRICA IN U.S. - BRAZIL DOCTOR

Neymar will spend a lengthy spell on the sideline due to a knee injury suffered against Uruguay. EPA/Raul Martinez

Brazil forward Neymar will miss the 2024 Copa América in the United States because of a serious knee injury he suffered in October, Brazilian team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said Tuesday.

The Al Hilal star, 31, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee during his country's World Cup qualifying loss to Uruguay on Oct. 17, before undergoing surgery two weeks later.

- The Copa América will begin on June 20 and run through the final on July 14.

KIPYEGON, LYLES AMONG SIX CROWNED AT EXPANDED WORLD ATHLETICS AWARDS

Faith Kipyegon. Reuters 

Six athletes - Faith Kipyegon, Noah Lyles, Armand "Mondo" Duplantis, Tigist Assefa, Kelvin Kiptum, and Yulimar Rojas - were all named World Athletes of the Year on Monday after the awards were expanded into three categories.

The 2023 World Athletics Awards have been divided into track, field and out of stadia categories following feedback received during the voting process, the organisers said.

"The depth of talent and the outstanding performances in our sport this year more than justify the expansion," said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe.

"Our World Athletes of the Year alone have achieved seven world records ... in 2023, as well as a host of world titles and major wins, so it is only fitting that they be recognised as the athletes of the year in their respective fields."

JESUS FERREIRA MAKES USMNT HISTORY WITH BACK-TO-BACK HAT TRICKS

Imago Images 

 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Striker Jesus Ferreira scored three first-half goals against Trinidad and Tobago to become the first United States men's national team player to score consecutive hat tricks in international competition.

The six combined goals came in an 88-minute period at the Gold Cup, with the first three coming on Wednesday against St. Kitts and Nevis in St. Louis, as the U.S. cruised past T&T 6-0 to win its group on goal difference after finishing level on points with Jamaica in Group A.

"I'm happy. I'm excited," Ferreira said after the game. "Obviously, this is a team objective. I wouldn't be able to score goals without my teammates putting me in situations where I can score goals.

"So, from the beginning, we knew that this game was going to be intense. We have to bring the intensity, we have to be the team that can set the tempo and I think we did that."

Ferreira also became just the second player in USMNT history with three career hat tricks, joining the team's joint all-time leading scorer Landon Donovan.

No other player, regardless of country, has multiple career Gold Cup hat tricks, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

"When I see his movement and his confidence in the penalty box, you can tell that the game has slowed down for him," U.S. interim coach B.J. Callaghan said. "All of the work that he's doing, leading our line defensively, dropping down, helping buildup play, for me he's having a really complete tournament."

Ferreira gave the U.S. the lead in the 14th minute from a DeJuan Jones assist and doubled the lead in the 38th minute before a penalty in stoppage time completed the hat trick.

Cade Cowell, Gianluca Busio and Brandon Vazquez all scored second-half goals for the U.S. to finish off the 6-0 victory and the team will now await the results from Group D on Tuesday to see who it will play in the quarterfinals.

 - Kyle Bonagura

U.S. OLYMPIC THREE-TIME MEDALIST TORI BOWIE DIED FROM COMPLICATIONS IN CHILD BIRTH, HER AGENT SAYS

U.S. Olympian Tori Bowie was found dead in her Florida home last month, and at the time, no specific cause of death was announced. This week, Bowie's agent, Kimberly Holland, confirmed to CBS News that she died from childbirth complications.

"Unfortunately, so many people, including the media, are making speculations that she did something to herself, which is very hurtful," Holland said. "So hopefully, now knowing the truth, there will be many apologies." 

USA Today obtained a report from the Orange County (Fla.) Medical Examiner Office that revealed the three-time Olympic track and field medalist had a "well-developed fetus" and was undergoing labor at the time of her death. The 32-year-old athlete was around eight months pregnant when she died.