Lakers: Kobe Bryant Feeling the Love in Italy

Even in retirement, Lakers legend Kobe Bryant still is beloved overseas as he visited Italy with Nike Basketball

There are many things that can describe Kobe Bryant and what he meant to the NBA and Los Angeles Lakers over the course of his career. He was an icon, an all-time great, a superstar, and so much more. However, one of the roles he always occupied so well for the league and the Lakers was that of a global ambassador.

Whether it’s Kobe Bryant going to China, to the Arctic tundra, or wherever, he’s always beloved by the fans and welcomed by raucous cheers to ecstatic to see him and be near him. And apparently that type of reaction worldwide isn’t something that goes away after you play your last game for Lakers—or at least that’s what fans in Italy would lead you to believe.

Kobe was in his home country of Italy this week as an ambassador for Nike Basketball (and obviously the NBA and Lakers, though unofficially) and the Italian fans were still just as in love with the guard as they ever were before:

Quite frankly, it was incredible to see the reach that Bryant’s greatness had while he was still suiting up for the Lakers and going around the world to spread his love for the game. So to see him getting this kind of love and adulation now that he’s retired just seems absurd at this point.

Obviously this is Italy, a country that Kobe has actual ties to as he lived there for a time in his childhood and youth. However, you have to think that his star is still bright enough to make you believe that this would happen in most countries around the world.

Either way, it’s great to see Bryant still out spreading his love for the game and trying to make it infectious.