How seven years in Italy gave Kobe Bryant a harsh reality check: "We're gonna love you if you score zero or 50"

Contrary to what many fans believe, Kobe Bryant was not always good at basketball. He had to claw his way up, especially since he was no longer familiar with the American style of play after living seven years in Italy.

The one constant, however, is the encouragement and support from his family, especially his dad, Joe Bryant. Nothing exemplified that love more than when Kobe embarrassed himself in a summer tournament going into eighth grade.

"I'm back in America in the summertime and I'm playing in the summer league. I didn't score a point the entire summer - not one point, not a free throw, not a layup, not a steal, nothing. Zero points the whole summer,"recalled the Lower Merion High School product on "60 Minutes with Charlie Rose."

"My father came up to me afterwards, gave me a hug and said, 'Son, don't worry about it. We're gonna love you if you score zero or 50. I just remember thinking, 'Thank you.'"

From zero to hero

Bryant started to play hoops at two years old, which is not surprising if your dad is a pro basketball player. According to Kobe, he would watch his dad play on TV at three years old and mimic every action on the floor, from sipping water during timeouts to Jellybean's high-flying layups.

When Joe uprooted his family and took them to Italy, that love for the game never waned. Kobe religiously followed his dad's career and what was going on in the NBA back in the States. However, when the Bryants were back on American soil, Kobe had to re-adjust his playing style, which explains why he struggled in that summer league tournament.

Nonetheless, Kobe did it his way, practicing and working on his game tirelessly. He went to junior high school in Bala and at 13, caught the eye of Mike Egan, who later became an assistant coach in Lower Merion High School.

Five years later, in 1996, Bryant became one of the best high school players in the country. He was not ranked No. 1, that's Tim Thomas, but it did not take long before he separated himself from the rest of his class.

"His approach was completely different," Thomas said of Bryant in the McDonald's All-American game. "In an all-star game, you're gonna go hard, but you're not gonna go as hard. So the practice is gonna be where you just wanna get the sets, and kind of go through it. They didn't really want guys to get hurt. Just get in, get out."

"But Kobe was on 1,000. He wanted to show everyone that he was the best player in the class. We were going through the drills and everyone else is walking through it and he's going full throttle, dunking the ball, boom, boom, boom. So we all kind of knew at that moment: This guy is different," added the seventh pick of the 1997 draft.

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Deeper family bonds

Bryant's Hall-of-Fame, even GOAT-worthy career was shaped by his experiences. All those years in Italy taught him basketball fundamentals, while coming back home to Philadelphia taught him to round out his game. More than that, basketball helped the Bryants stay close as a family unit.

"I think it made me more mature. We had to grow up a lot faster," Bryant said of growing up in Italy. "I think it brought us closer together as a family because we're moving out there into a different world. We didn't speak the language; we did not know anybody. We had to bond with one another more so than anything."

Kobe has always leaned on his family's support. His parents, particularly his dad, never cared what the box score indicated. They cared about how he responded, all while showing him love, giving him ample room to grow.

Related: Paul Pierce says Kobe Bryant was never the face of the NBA

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.