Kobe Bryant Shows Passion For Soccer In New Ad

By now, most NBA fans know that Kobe Bryant didn’t grow up in Philadelphia, where he came out of Lower Merion High School to start his NBA career. No, Bean was in Italy for much of his childhood, where his father played professionally as Kobe idolized Italian basketball star Mike D’Antoni. In Italy, there’s only one sport every kid is playing on the street, so it’s no surprise Kobe is so passionate about soccer in a new Panini ad for this summer’s World Cup.

Kobe Bryant is a Global Spokesperson for Panini, who are the exclusive trading card and sticker partners of the NBA and FIFA World Cup. The 2014 World Cup kicks off this summer in Brazil, and you know Kobe — along with billions of others — will be watching what is still the world’s game.

What do you think?

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