As an aside, Kobe Bryant grew up in Italy. So yes, he speaks Italian.
Watch this brief interview ( In Italian ):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwkMf6R3qSA
In fact, Kobe’s first love was soccer.
I’m Hip, or is it hep, to Kobe’s upbringing. He also spoke Spanish and was one of the most articulate athletes in English. Actually spoke in complete sentences without many cliches. Example, no “We Came To Play.” We gave it 120%.” “Moving forward we need to go to the hoop more.”
Buenos Dias, Bon Dia, Have a good one.