Bi-Lingual
Aside from being considered to be one of the best players in the game, Kobe is also bilingual! While growing up in Italy, he learned Italian and became fluent. It must have been necessary when playing basketball and making new friends. 35 years later, he’s still fluent in both English and Italian.
Bi-Lingual
His Name Has Special Meaning
You might be wondering where his name came from. Would you believe it that he was named after a restaurant and a type of Japanese meat? Well, it’s true! Kobe’s parents were big fans of a Japanese steakhouse in Philly named ‘Kobe’. Since they ate there so often, they decided to name their only son after it. The restaurant got the name from the Japanese meat, Kobe Beef, which comes from Japanese black cattle. Joe Bryant confirmed this rumor in 1998 in an interview with Sports Illustrated, saying, “I don’t know if I should say that he was named after them, they might want the rights to the name”.
His Name Has Special Meaning