The Los Angeles Lakers legend stood at 6’6″ during his basketball career, but there was a time when that wasn’t a possibility. Kobe loved soccer while growing up in Italy from when he was six to when he was 13.

During that time in Europe, a young Bryant grew up as a fan of AC Milan, which made him connect more with soccer until his growth spurt made him follow his father, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant’s footsteps in trying to play basketball professionally.

“Absolutely. But then I wound up being 6 foot 3. Yeah, I had more talent playing basketball than I did playing soccer. When I started playing soccer, they just stuck me in the goal because I had these really long arms and long legs,” Kobe said to ESPN Brazil.

Kobe loved soccer even when he was in the NBA

Black Mamba still had time to be a soccer fan despite being in the NBA. He supported AC Milan, and he became friends with many players. His closest friendship was with Ronaldinho, a Brazilian football legend who played for some of the best soccer clubs, including Milan and FC Barcelona.

Kobe remained up-to-date with what was going on in the soccer world, even getting a glimpse into the future when he learned of Lionel Messi, a 17-year-old at the time, who ended up becoming arguably the greatest soccer player of all time. Coincidentally, Bryant and Messi had commercials together for Turkish Airlines, which are iconic.

Another standout soccer moment for Kobe was his interaction with French legend Thierry Henry. They bonded when talking about a mutual role model named Marco van Basten. The Dutch striker was the ideal role model for both of them, considering Kobe’s ties with AC Milan and Henry’s vision of the optimal soccer striker.

The NBA world is glad Kobe stuck with basketball

Fortunately for the basketball space, Bryant grew taller and loved basketball more. His talents would’ve been wasted if he had kept playing soccer since he would only be a goalkeeper. He wanted to be Pele, not a stationary shot-stopper with little to do.

Kobe’s choice paid off, as he became one of the most iconic athletes ever through basketball. He is synonymous with basketball, as he’s still seen as plenty of people’s favorite player, even if he retired in 2016. Even non-basketball fans say his name whenever they throw something at a trash bin, showcasing how iconic Black Mamba became by choosing hoops over soccer.