Before Kobe Bryant excelled on the basketball court, he played on the pitch. Before he mastered basketball partly with footwork, he competed in soccer using the same skillset. Before he gushed over NBA greats that displayed superior fundamentals, Bryant marveled at the soccer greats who boasted the same thing.
That is why it is hardly surprising Bryant appeared in yet another Panini commercial featuring the 2014 World Cup. Not only did he grow up a die-hard soccer fan in Italy and has maintained that passion since then. Bryant adopted the skills needed to thrive in that sport and transferred them over onto the hardwood.
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