August 24th, also known as Kobe Bryant Day, is a day to commemorate the life and legacy of 18-time NBA All-Star and Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant. Known for his strong work ethic and insatiable hunger to win, the “Black Mamba” is perhaps the perfect example of how anything can be achieved through hard work and determination. The level of commitment to his craft that he displayed to teammates and fans over the course of his illustrious career was truly unmatched, begging the question: What aspect of Kobe Bryant’s background has been the driving force behind his unique sense of professionalism and self-motivation? The answer might just be his Italian roots.
Born on August 23rd, 1978, Bryant spent the first six years of his life in the United States before his father, an NBA player himself, retired from the league and moved to Italy to continue his professional basketball career. Originally settling in Rieti, he and Kobe relocated to Reggio Calabria after just two years before moving again to Pistoia and once more to Reggio Emilia as Joe Bryant bounced from team to team during the 1980s. While he only lived in Italy until he was 13, this was a formative period for young Kobe as he embraced Italian culture and his new way of life while solidifying his passion for basketball.
In several interviews, Bryant has emphasized how growing up in Italy shaped his family values and sense of loyalty, which are qualities he possesses in abundance as seen through his relationship with his daughters and tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers that spanned three decades. “People treat others as equals there,” he told the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1996. “They don’t mistrust each other. They say hello when they see you on the street. And family — family is big there.”
He also grew a strong appreciation for the Italian language, learning to speak it fluently as he watched his father compete at the highest level in Europe. It was at these games that Kobe first understood his calling, even volunteering to mop the sweat off the court between whistles simply because he loved to be around the sport.
Although Bryant also developed an appreciation for soccer during this time, basketball was his passion. According to the former NBA MVP, it was in Italy that he “learned to play basketball the right way through a teaching of fundamentals first.” Being afforded the opportunity to study and practice how the game is played in Europe gave him a distinct advantage against the American competition when he moved back to the US to play high school basketball. He was a standout player at Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia and was drafted to the NBA straight out of high school. His basketball dominance only grew stronger as his career progressed, earning 5 NBA championships, 2 NBA Finals MVPs, and climbing to 4th on the NBA all-time scoring list to cement himself as one of the greatest ever.
While Kobe Bryant is and will always be an American icon, the influence of Italian culture on his work ethic and approach to the sport of basketball cannot be understated.
