TOKYO -- Joe Bryant, father of Los Angeles Lakers' guard Kobe Bryant, was named head coach of Tokyo Apache in Japan's new professional basketball league on Wednesday.
Joe Bryant, a former NBA player, will coach the
Tokyo-based team in the Basketball Japan League, which begins play in November.
The 50-year-old formerly played for the Philadelphia 76ers
and also had spells in the ABA and Italy.
The six-team Japanese league includes teams from Osaka,
Saitama, Niigata, Sendai and Oita.