Kobe Bryant is an American professional basketball player. Kobe Bryant was born as the youngest of three children. He was raised Roman Catholic. When he was six, his father left the NBA and moved his family to Italy to continue playing professional basketball.

Kobe Bryant became accustomed to his new lifestyle and learned to speak Italian and Spanish. During summers, he would come back to the United States to play in a basketball summer league. He started playing basketball when he was 3 years old.

At an early age Kobe Bryant also learned to play soccer. His favorite team is AC Milan. He has said that if he had stayed in Italy, he would have tried to become a professional soccer player. Kobe Bryant is a big fan of former FC Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard and their former player Ronaldinho.