Lakers: Fans Quit Jobs, Travel From Italy to See Kobe In Philly

Kobe Bryant fans quit their jobs and traveled from Italy to sit courtside in Philadelphia for Kobe’s final game in hometown 

Kobe Bryant is an all-time great player in the NBA. No matter where you rank him in a subjective top-x players-of-all-time list, he’s in the conversation. However, one of the underrated things about Kobe is the affect that he’s had on the game of basketball and the NBA on a global scale. His reach and celebrity reaches to virtually every corner of the world.

One place in particular where he’s had an influence is Italy. Kobe spent many of his formative years growing up in Italy while his father played basketball professionally overseas, moving there when Kobe was six years old. Subsequently, Kobe has strong ties to the country and the country has generally reciprocated.

With the announcement of Bryant’s retirement on Sunday, that closed the window for Italian fans to make it to the states to see their favorite player in action. For one pair of Italian fans, they were willing to drop and give up most everything to make sure they didn’t miss out.

For Kobe’s homecoming in Philadelphia on Tuesday, these two fans were pictured sitting courtside in Kobe jerseys while holding a sign detailing their dedication to seeing Bryant before he retires:

There are fans and then there are fans who will pay near $10,000 and quit their jobs to travel across the ocean and sit courtside to watch their idol play basketball—while not having a place to stay, no less.

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This truly speaks to Kobe’s reach as an international icon for the Lakers and the NBA. He’s impacted so many lives over his career with his performance and his spreading of the game of basketball worldwide. It’s just another reason why he’ll be so greatly missed when this season is over.