Was Kobe Bryant an AC Milan fan?
Yes. In his own words, Kobe Bryant was an AC Milan fan.
Kobe Bryant Full fan file: every team he rooted for, with receipts
“Milan has always been my favourite team and it's always in my heart.”
Sportskeeda, July 21, 2013. Backed by CBS Sports (2020) and Forza Italian Football (2016).
Last checked November 4, 2026: the quote still matched the page word for word.
What did Kobe Bryant say about AC Milan?
Kobe Bryant said it plainly and more than once. In a Sportskeeda item dated July 21, 2013, he said, "Milan has always been my favourite team and it's always in my heart." A CBS Sports piece dated January 28, 2020, carries a near-identical line from him: "Milan have always been my favorite side." The words span several years and several outlets, and none of them hedge. Nothing in the record suggests the fandom ended or that anyone disputes it.
Did Kobe Bryant grow up an AC Milan fan?
By his own account, yes. He told Forza Italian Football, in a piece dated March 16, 2016, "I grew up in Milan and AC Milan was my team, it was the team I supported whole-heartedly". The timeframe given for the fandom is childhood.
His biography explains why a kid from Philadelphia would have an Italian club. He was born in Philadelphia on August 23, 1978, and his family moved to San Diego in 1979 when his father was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the then-San Diego Clippers. After two years they moved to Reggio Calabria, then to Pistoia and Reggio Emilia. When he was 13, the family moved back to Philadelphia, where he enrolled in the eighth grade at Bala Cynwyd Middle School and then went on to Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. So his childhood years in Italy overlap with the period he describes as supporting Milan.
When did Kobe Bryant become an AC Milan fan?
There is no single date, and he never gave one. The only timing he offered was childhood, and the quotes are consistent with it: "always" in 2013 and again in 2020, and "grew up" in 2016. What can be said is that the fandom predates his NBA career, which began in 1996 when he was drafted 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets and then spent 1996 to 2016 with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Did Kobe Bryant like AC Milan?
He called Milan his favourite team and said it was "always in my heart", so the answer is yes, in his own words. This was a stated favorite, not a background tie.
Which other athletes are AC Milan fans?
No other players are given as AC Milan fans here, so the connection stands as his alone.
Questions people ask
Was Kobe Bryant an AC Milan fan?
Yes. He said so himself, telling Sportskeeda in July 2013, "Milan has always been my favourite team and it's always in my heart."
Did Kobe Bryant grow up an AC Milan fan?
He told Forza Italian Football in March 2016 that he grew up in Milan and that AC Milan was the team he supported whole-heartedly. His family lived in Italy during part of his childhood, before returning to Philadelphia when he was 13.
What did Kobe Bryant say about AC Milan?
He told CBS Sports in a piece dated January 28, 2020, "Milan have always been my favorite side." He made nearly the same statement to Sportskeeda in 2013.
When did Kobe Bryant become an AC Milan fan?
He gave no date, only that it went back to childhood. The fandom came well before his NBA debut in 1996.