REGGIO EMILIA. «I was a Superbasket reader and one day I read a little article in that magazine that intrigued me: ‘Joe Bryant’s son at eight years old could already play in the Promotion’».
It was 1986 and Enrico San Pietro, partner and vice president of Pallacanestro Reggiana, was a coach of the red and white youth sector. At that time Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, Philadelphia strong forward, wore the Rieti shirt.
The long former Clippers would arrive in Reggio only three seasons later, after playing for Viola Reggio Calabria and then in Pistoia, yet little Kobe, Joe’s only son after two girls, was already arousing curiosity in the coaching staff of the red and white cantera.
«When he arrived in Reggio – recalls San Pietro – Kobe was tall but very thin: he still had to mature physically. Even though he was a year younger, he was put to play with the ’77s I was coaching. Joe arrived in the Cantine Riunite when the season had already begun and a friendly match was organized mid-week at the Pala Bigi to facilitate his inclusion. I went to the sports hall, Kobe was attending the test with his mother and I asked him if he wanted to play with us. He said yes. “
Simply yes.
«The first day I went to pick him up at the Bigi and took him to the Opo gym in via Martiri della Bettola, where we were training then. It was the first time and his mother had him accompanied by one of the older sisters. On the way he asked me many questions. He wanted to know if the team was strong and if we were already playing with high baskets. When I said yes, he was particularly happy. He had a marked Tuscan accent, acquired during the two years he spent in Pistoia which he then lost during his stay in Reggio. He was bold but still unsure. In short, he had the typical character of pre-adolescents ».
Kobe, 11 years old and already in love with basketball, began his adventure at Reggiana Basketball that day in autumn 1989.
«Despite being a ’78 he trained and played both with the boys of ’77, who coached Mauro Cantarella and I, and with the ’78s who coached Andrea Menozzi. Like him to train with both teams, there were also Nicola Prandi and Davide Giudici (current president of Fip Reggio, ed). In the ’77 group he was lucky enough to find Chris Ward with whom he had a lot in common. Both were of American family and therefore had the same cultural base ».
There, in the gym, friendships were born that Kobe maintained until the end.
«He was well integrated – continues St. Peter -. He was more frail than the one-year-old boys, but he had many things that showed his worth. Above all a very nice shooting mechanics, certainly the result of the father’s teachings. We worked a lot on his left hand which he tended to avoid using. Another thing common to all children of his age was the difficulty in passing the ball and we worked a lot on that too. The real jump, however, Kobe certainly did not make it with us in Reggio. It was his determination from the high school years onwards that made the difference, in addition to his physical growth that took place in the years following those of Reggio Emilia, when he had now moved to the United States. I always remember the sentence pronounced at the time by a middle school teacher: “Valerio Braglia (one of the teammates, ed) is stronger than Kobe Bryant” and it really wasn’t a blasphemy. Chris Ward on the pitch was also more decisive than him. What made the difference was certainly his talent but above all his mental growth. It was the great determination that made Kobe a champion ».
In the Reggio years, Kobe was just a little boy who had just spread his wings.
«He had a certain bravado and was always very sure of making the basket, of being able to win – he remembers -. By regulation you could not play the whole match but he asked to enter the field and I had to tell him that he could not. Those no (smiles, ed) did not enter his head immediately. I remember that we easily won the provincial Propaganda championship but then we lost the regional final against Virtus Bologna. He was already a name. The opponents and the coaches were impressed that we had two Americans on the team, him and Chris Ward. That season we played an international tournament in Turin and stayed there for a few days. We spent the breaks between one race and another in the park next to the sports hall and they were particularly happy days ».
Those days at the Turin tournament, Kobe remembered them in one of the books he wrote when he had become the Black Mamba, a legend.
«There were 64 teams from all over Europe, of all ages – says San Pietro – and we played outdoors on eight different fields. It was a basketball party. I also have a very nice memory of him, I am not surprised that he has not forgotten it ».
Already with the Propaganda jersey, Kobe dreamed of the NBA. Intensely.
“He never really talked to me about wanting to join the NBA – he reveals – I remember him as a bold dreamer, like so many children at that age. Being a dreamer is essential, succeeding is another matter, working to succeed is another matter. Those who have a professional father, however, see the dream more achievable because they have it in front of the family. The dream, that dream of arriving in the NBA, helped him in his work of growth and improvement ».
Kobe left Reggio at the end of the ’90 / ’91 season when his father Joe’s adventure in red and white ended. The Bryant family returned to the States.
“He had grown up when Kobe left, though still quite thin. For his age he was a player of great technical level, even if no one could have imagined what he would become later on “
Kobe then went to high school in Lower Marion. Despite the prestigious offers, he did not go to college.
Thirteenth on the first round of the 1996 Draft was chosen by the Hornets who then sold him to the Lakers.
«Its so fast and unusual growth path made us all proud. Kobe is a Reggio’s pride. I lost him completely in high school then, like everyone else, I followed his career in the NBA. I never met him again. When he returned to Reggio he did it to see friends. In 2016 he organized an event on the pitch in via Franchetti but due to work commitments I was unable to be present. Instead, I often meet his teammates. The memory of Kobe is something that everyone cherishes with pride and great pleasure. They are fond memories of a beautiful time in itself. I am happy to see those grown-up kids who have found a path that gives them satisfaction. Of course, nothing compares to what Kobe did. His is an extraordinary story also for the speed in which it has developed. The departure of his career took place in an instant. It’s hard to believe how quickly the first title arrived ».
«In the end I followed Kobe beyond individual and team successes, beyond the rings and the Olympics. I followed the Mamba Mentality. His approach to life, not just sports. His willingness to make sacrifices and his desire to ask others too. This reversed the manager-player relationship we had. He inspired me. Even when he finished his basketball career he took the field in other areas with the same commitment, creating a unique story ».
A story, that of Joe’s son, in which Reggio also played an important role.
«We cannot say that we have done the bulk of the technical work. I care a lot at this point. Kobe has been with us for two years and what he has become he built for the most part later thanks to his mentality. Over the decades, the youth sector of Reggiana Basketball has made many boys grow who have then become professionals, but above all men. This is a very important basic value: there is the desire to make a contribution to Italian basketball as well. It is part of the values of our corporate values, despite the fact that investing in the youth sector does not bring great economic benefits from a rational and economic point of view. When he makes an investment in a great player, let’s take the example of Nicolò Melli, in basketball you don’t get the return you can get in football. Our commitment is a question of values rather than economic “.
«Two years ago I learned of Kobe’s death like so many others, watching TV – he concludes – and it took me a few minutes to realize it was true. I didn’t want to believe it, just as I don’t think anyone wanted to believe it. In the following days I was struck by the global dimension of the impact that his death had had, but also by the “Reggio” dimension of the tragedy. It was right to give the name, his and his daughter Gianna, who died with him, to the square in front of the Bigi, this will ensure that even in many decades the relationship between Kobe and Reggio will remain in the memory ».
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