Bryant on his childhood ambition to become a footballer - archive

Kobe Bryant revealed in an interview to ESPN Brasil in 2013 that he "absolutely" thought on playing soccer when he lived in Italy, but that he "ended up being 6 foot 3" and "was never close to being as good in soccer as I was in basketball".

The network re-aired the interview with the NBA legend after the news that he and his 13-year-old daughter and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash on a steep hillside in the dense morning fog in Southern California on Sunday,

Bryant also revealed that he was influenced by Brazilian basketballer Oscar Schmidt, who was playing in Europe as well, like his father, Joe.