Joseph Washington "Jellybean" Bryant (born October 19, 1954) is a retired American professional basketball player, current coach, and the father of Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant. Bryant was the head coach of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks from August 22, 2005 until April 4, 2007. He returned to that position after Jennifer Gillom was fired by the Los Angeles Sparks on July 10, 2011.He is currently the head coach of the Chang Thailand Slammers of the ASEAN Basketball League.