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In 1984, when Kobe Bryant was 6, his father, Joe, uprooted him and his family to Italy to eke out a few more paychecks after an eight-year NBA career. A 6-foot-9 forward, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant had played for the Philadelphia 76ers, the San Diego Clippers and the Houston Rockets, and had now accepted an offer to play for Sebastani Rieti, based in t...

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Kobe Bryant spent the better part of his childhood in Italy, and was fluent in Italian. From ages 6 to 13, Kobe lived with his father, Joe Bryant, who played for several basketball teams in the country, The Washington Post reports. “All of the NBA players are important, because they’re legends, but he’s particularly important to us because he knew...

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“We have some amazing women in this room and you just heard from three of them. I’m Geno Auriemma the coach of the UConn women’s basketball program. “A lot of people are going to talk about basketball today. And I don’t know that that’s why I’m here. I’m not here for the basketball court. I tried to write a long, flowing speech about basketball, an...

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Ciao from Rome to all the friends of We the Italians! First of all, we want to thank all those who bought the new 2019 yearbook of We the Italians! The first month of sales exceeded those of all previous yearbooks, a great success! Thanks really, if you haven't bought it yet and you are curious to know 24 stories about 24 different points of view o...

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Kobe Bryant’s No. 24 jersey was hoisted to the rafters of the arena in Italy where his father, Joe, played after he retired from the NBA and moved his family to Europe in the 1980s. The central Italian city of Rieti became the Bryant family’s first Italian home when Joe Bryant signed for the local team AMG Sebastiani Rieti in 1984, when six-year-ol...

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Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli was among the victims of the helicopter crash that also killed former Lakers star Kobe Bryant, OCC assistant coach Ron La Ruffa confirmed Sunday, Jan 26. Altobelli’s brother Tony, Orange Coast College’s sports information director, told CNN that Altobelli’s wife Keri and daughter Alyssa also were a...

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In Europe where Kobe Bryant grew up, the retired NBA star was being remembered for his “Italian qualities.” “All of the NBA players are important, because they’re legends, but he’s particularly important to us because he knew Italy so well, having lived in several cities here,” Italian basketball federation president Giovanni Petrucci told The Asso...

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