Getting your player ready...
Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, right, the father of NBA star Kobe Bryant, coached his team to the final of Japan’s professional basketball league playoffs, where it lost to the two-time defending champions. The Osaka Evessa beat Joe Bryant’s Tokyo Apache 66-56 on Sunday. Bryant’s team was the worst in the league a season ago, finishing with a 12-28 record. This season, Bryant’s third coaching in Japan, the Apache finished second with a 27-17 record. “The only reason I’m here is to help the Japanese players,” Bryant said. “I really take pride in watching them grow.” The Associated Press. AP photo
