5 Of Kobe Bryant’s Insane Hidden Talents

The world not only lost an amazing basketball on January 26, we also lost a phenomenal talent. We all know Kobe Bryant’s abilities on the court but another thing that makes Kobe so special is his diverse talents in fields outside of basketball. It’s incredible that somebody who dedicated so much time to their professional craft is also so skilled in other areas of life as well. Here’s 5 of the late NBA legends hidden talents.

He’s Trilingual

We all know Kobe was raised in Italy while his father Joe “Jellybean” Bryant played basketball and he learned to speak Italian fluently. But he also was a master linguistic and seemed to pick up languages easily. Hence the father of four wasn’t  just bilingual, he was trilingual – speaking  Spanish in addition to English and Italian. It wasn’t a language we heard him speak nearly as much, but it came in handy while he played with Spain native Pau Gasol. Bryant often spoke Spanish on the floor while opposing players were left to wonder what they were saying. Here’s a taste of it:

 

He Could Play Piano

Did you know Kobe played the piano? We didn’t either. During his “Celebration Of Life” on February 24, Alicia Keys played one of Kobe’s favorite song’s to play — Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”. Apparently Kobe taught himself to play it by ear for his wife Vanessa. A couple years back, he also posted a short video of himself playing piano, saying it helps him relax after tough losses or when he reaches his boiling point. Here’s the clip from :

Talented Writer

Kobe Bryant has always been one of the most well-spoken players in all of professional sports, and in his letter to basketball announcing his retirement, the Mamba proved that he’s a very talented writer as well. Kobe would turn that into his first film — “Dear Basketball” which went on to win the Oscar in 2018 for Best Animated Short. Kobe would become the first African American and first athlete to win in the category. His production company — Granity Studios also released a series of children’s books. “You got to do what you love to do,” he said about life after retirement. “I love telling stories. I love inspiring kids or providing them with tools that are going to help them.”

Rap Skills

It might not be his greatest talent, but you have to give the Black Mamba some credit for putting himself out there early in his career. Bryant had a deal for an album with Sony titled Visions and he released the single K.O.B.E. back in 1998. It wasn’t well received, so the other songs weren’t released but who can forget his flow and swag on the Brian McKnight single “Hold Me.”

 

Soccer Player

Kobe started playing basketball when he was just three years old but it wasn’t much later that he picked up soccer as well. In the video below it’s clear  Kobe would have been a star soccer player. watch him casually dribble before hitting the PK (he’s clearly done this a time or two).