Danilo Gallinari is one of many players who clashed with Kobe Bryant throughout his career. The former New York Knicks forward was the victim of Bryant's 61-point performance in Madison Square Garden in 2009. However, Gallinari's connection to the Los Angeles Lakers legend goes much further back than their time in the NBA. He is one of the best Italian players in NBA history, so much so that fans wondered if Gallinari would go back as a free agent in 2024.

Bryant's father, Jelly Bean Bryant, played in Italy during his professional career. He battled Gallinari's father, Vittorio Gallinari, one of the most popular players in the country at the time. Both grew up overseas and became bilingual by the time Gallinari got to the NBA as a rookie.

The former Knick revealed the story of how he met Bryant on the Run Your Race Podcast. According to him, Bryant spoke to him in Italian after a Team USA practice during the summer of 2008.

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“I'm watching them practice and the trainer of the Knicks is with me and he was one of the trainers of the Team USA too,” Gallinari said about meeting Bryant. “And he's like listen, stay here a little bit more this practice because Kobe wants to meet you. I’m like really? So I stayed there, I waited, you know he's icing, stretching, you wait maybe an hour after practice. And then you know, not a lot of people in the states can say my name right and there I hear somebody say ‘Hey Danilo come here,’ In Italian ‘Danilo come here.’ Who’s speaking Italian in Vegas at Team USA practice. I look and it's Kobe. So he's walking with the ice on his knees and everything. I'm walking down the stairs and I'm there talking to Kobe. So that was amazing, he gave me shoes. I go back to my room and there is a letter that he wrote for me.”

While he and Bryant share a connection that almost no other duo has, that didn't help Gallinari. Bryant's stellar game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden remains one of the best Lakers performances of all time.

Despite Bryant's ruthlessness on the court, Gallinari and players around the league hold him in high regard. The Lakers guard was elite, both in the NBA and in international play. He and Gallinari took each other on multiple times at the Olympic games throughout their careers.

Even though he represented the US, Bryant's connection to Italy helped him form close bonds with foreign players.