Kobe Bryant will be mourned for an entire week in the country where he grew up. Italy's basketball federation says it has ordered a minute's silence to be observed for all games “in every category for the entire week.”
FILE - In this Sept. 28, 2011, file photo, U.S. basketball star Kobe Bryant plays with a ball during a sponsor's appearance in Milan, Italy. In Europe where Bryant grew up, the retired NBA star is being remembered for his "Italian qualities." Italian basketball federation president Giovanni Petrucci tells The Associated Press that Bryant is "particularly important to us because he knew Italy so well, having lived in several cities here. He had a lot of Italian qualities.
Bryant lived in Italy between the ages of 6 and 13 while his father, Joe Bryant, played for several teams in the country. He returned to Pennsylvania for high school.That dream almost came true when Bryant nearly joined Virtus Bologna in 2011 during an NBA lockout, only for the deal to fall apart. Bryant, an 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, died Sunday with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California. He was 41.
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