WATCH: Kobe Bryant Watched on as MLS Legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic Knocked Out Italian Soccer Legend

Published 05/23/2022, 8:45 PM EDT

Kobe Bean Bryant is one of the greatest players to have ever played the game of basketball. During the decade of 2000s, no star in basketball was bigger than Kobe. After Shaq left the Lakers for the Miami Heat, for several years, Kobe was a one-man team. Kobe also loved other sports. Having been in Italy during his early years, Kobe was also a soccer fan. And in a resurfaced video, we can see Kobe in an ad film with Italian soccer legend Pirlo.

In an old Nike ad campaign, we can see many soccer stars playing soccer. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is seen dribbling the ball and making a run at the opponent’s goal. He is then fouled, so he lines up for a free kick. We also see other soccer players like Neymar, Andrés Iniesta and Mario Götze. Zlatan then takes the free kick, which then hits Andrea Pirlo in his head. Andrea then, sitting in the audience with Kobe, says “ I’m glad that’s not me“. Kobe though has the last say when he says, ” That’s a good header“.

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Kobe Bryant – The legend who was more than the game

Kobe was part of the legendary 1996 NBA Draft class. He was not originally drafted by the Lakers, but Jerry West then traded for Kobe to pair him with Shaq. That started another dynastic run for the Lakers, which fetched them three NBA Championships.

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Kobe would eventually end up playing for one team only. He had two of his jerseys retired by the Lakers in numbers 8 and 24. He would end up winning 5 NBA Championships over two different eras.

After going through a period where he and the Lakers couldn’t compete, trading for Pau Gasol changed it all.

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Pau Gasol gave Kobe a legitimate running mate. They both made three consecutive NBA Finals and won two of them. One of them was against their arch-rival Boston Celtics. Let us know in the comments below your favorite Kobe moment.

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Written by:

Nirjhar Sharma is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He is a sports enthusiast who follows all major sports and has been watching the NBA for the past 7 years now. A firm believer in the 'Greek Freak' being the best player in the league right now, he believes that the Bucks are primed for another championship run unless the injury bug bites them.

Edited by:

Ranvijay Singh

WATCH: Kobe Bryant Watched on as MLS Legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic Knocked Out Italian Soccer Legend

Kobe Bryant – The legend who was more than the game

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