Was Kobe Bryant a Barcelona fan?

What did Kobe Bryant say about FC Barcelona?

Everything Barca published a piece on July 1, 2017 that carried a line attributed to Kobe Bryant: "I still love AC Milan — though they don't wear my brand of choice — and FC Barcelona." That is the only item tying him to the club. It comes from an outlet and not from a first-hand interview, so this is a reported fandom and not one confirmed in his own words. The words are credited to Bryant, but they reach readers through Everything Barca.

The same line names a second club. Bryant was quoted as saying he still loved AC Milan as well, and Barcelona appears alongside it. His other teams in the record include the Philadelphia Eagles, which he backed in his own posts on X, and a background tie to the LA Galaxy.

Did Kobe Bryant grow up a Barcelona fan?

Nothing in the record says when his interest in Barcelona began, and no timeframe is attached to it. What the record does show is a childhood spent in a handful of places. Bryant was born in Philadelphia on August 23, 1978. His family moved to San Diego in 1979 after 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 returned to Philadelphia, where he enrolled at Bala Cynwyd Middle School and later at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

Barcelona has no link to any of those stops. The club sits in La Liga, in the city of Barcelona, and Bryant's NBA career ran from 1996 to 2016 entirely with the Los Angeles Lakers after the Charlotte Hornets drafted him 13th in 1996. His stated preference for Barcelona is not explained by where he was born or played, and it is listed as a stated favorite, not a hometown or background tie.

Which other athletes are Barcelona fans?

Two other players are tied to the club in the record. Chris Paul is reported as a Barcelona fan. Jaylen Brown is listed as someone who used to be a fan, and that account is disputed.

Questions people ask

Was Kobe Bryant a Barcelona fan?

Reportedly, yes. Everything Barca attributed a quote to him on July 1, 2017 saying he loved FC Barcelona, though the claim has not been confirmed in an interview of his own.

What did Kobe Bryant say about FC Barcelona?

In the line carried by Everything Barca he was quoted as saying, "I still love AC Milan — though they don't wear my brand of choice — and FC Barcelona." He named AC Milan in the same sentence.

Did Kobe Bryant grow up a Barcelona fan?

No source says when his fandom started, so that cannot be stated. His childhood was spent in Philadelphia, San Diego, Reggio Calabria, Pistoia and Reggio Emilia, none of them Barcelona.

Which other athletes are Barcelona fans?

Chris Paul is reported as a fan, and Jaylen Brown is listed as a former fan, though that is disputed.