Kobe bryant y leo messi biography
Kobe Bryant Reveals How Ronaldinho Introduced Him to Year-Old Leo Messi
Lionel Messi isn't running low on plaudits, but this one has to be quite humbling for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Retiring NBA legend Kobe Bryant revealed in an interview with ESPN, via , how he met the Argentinian superstar when he was just a teenager through former Barcelona and Brazil star Ronaldinho.
"I'll tell you a story. A long time ago, Barcelona came to Los Angeles," Bryant said. "Ronaldinho, who was a good friend, I was talking with him and he told me: 'Kobe, look I'm going to introduce you to the guy who is going to be the greatest player of all time."
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Bryant, who is playing in his 20th and final season with the Los Angeles Lakers, explained that Ronaldinho had pegged the youngster for stardom from a young age.
"I said: 'You what? You are the best.' But he said: 'No, no. This kid right here is going to be the best.' And that guy was Lionel Messi, who was only "
The rest, as they say, is history.
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Kobe Bryant And Lionel Messi's Friendship Explained
Late basketball legend Kobe Bryant had a storied love for more sports than just the one he was famous for playing. Since he was a kid, the former LA Lakers star has been a giant fan of soccer, a passion that not only helped to shape his athletic career but also one that helped earn him friendships later in his adult life. ESPN reports that when he was growing up, Bryant's family moved to Italy so that his father, former NBA player Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, could continue with the sport in a European league. As a kid in a new country, Bryant soon became fascinated with Italy's number one sport, soccer.
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Bryant would practice and play soccer with the other kids, but also made plenty of time for the basketball court. In fact, he strongly felt that his newfound love of soccer helped make him a much better basketball player. In an interview with ESPN, Bryant recalled that "they taught me at an early age how to play in triangles and how to utilize space, which wound up helping me tremendously in basketball as well. I loved the idea of how quickly the ball moves and how quickly you have to process what's moving right in front of you to make decisions."
Bryant returned to the United States in , taking his passion for soccer back with him. He would eventually build a friendship with Ronaldinho, a Brazilian native who was the star player for the Barcelona team that Bryant loved to follow. It was Ronaldinho who first introduced year-old Lionel Messi to the NBA All-Star.
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Kobe Bryant
American basketball player (–)
Not to be confused with American football player Coby Bryant.
Bryant in | |
| Born | ()August 23, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Died | January 26, () (aged&#;41) Calabasas, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6&#;ft 6&#;in (&#;m) |
| Listed weight | &#;lb (96&#;kg) |
| High school | Lower Merion (Ardmore, Pennsylvania) |
| NBA draft | 1st round, 13th overall pick |
| Selected by the Charlotte Hornets | |
| Playing career | – |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Number | 8, 24 |
| – | Los Angeles Lakers |
| |
| Points | 33, ( ppg) |
| Rebounds | 7, ( rpg) |
| Assists | 6, ( apg) |
| Stats at &#; | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Kobe Bean Bryant (KOH-bee; August 23, – January 26, ) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the sport's greatest and most influential players of all time, Bryant won five NBA championships and was an time All-Star, time member of the All-NBA Team, time member of the All-Defensive Team, the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), and a two-time NBA Finals MVP. He ranks fourth in league all-time regular season and postseason scoring. Bryant was posthumo
.