By definition, a nerd is someone who shows extreme interest and knows a myriad of facts about a certain subject. Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J.K Rowling. American former professional national basketball player Kobe Bryant is actually a huge Harry Potter nerd. Kobe Bryant tells it all in his exclusive interview with the American television host Ellen DeGeneres. Kobe revealed that if his house was to catch fire, Harry Potter’s first edition book signed by J.K Rowling would be the most important thing he would save.
Even his huge collection of basketball memorabilia isn’t as important to him as the Harry Potter book, which he considers to be his most valuable possession. Kobe said he loves everything about Harry Potter, and that he enjoys reading the brilliant story.
In yet another detailed interview with Chuck Klosterman, the Lakers star hinted that his favorite British person is J.K Rowling. At the London Olympics, before he won a gold medal, Kobe told the Daily Mail that his top priority was to meet J.K Rowling.
He said he is a huge fan of the Harry Potter author and has read all her books. He repeated the same thing again to the Daily Express, emphasizing that it has always been a fun experience going to England and he has never met anyone in the royal family but Rowling is the number one person he wants to meet.
Kobe bought a white dog that he named Dumbledore – a name that comes from a fictional character in the Harry Potter series. Kobe visits the Harry Potter theme park every so often, too. It was alleged that at one point, he closed down the shop Dervish and Banges while visiting. In an interview with television host Jimmy Kimmel, he mentioned that he started out as a fan of the movies before getting into reading the book series. His wife, who is also a Harry fan and had read all his books, would give him hints on what would happen next. This prompted him to want to know more.
During the interview, Jimmy asked Kobe to attempt an English accent, and he actually did. Jimmy found it impressive, but Kobe said that he doesn’t know and was only trying to mimic Harry Potter sounds. The Boston Celtics were up 3-1 on the Lakers in the 2008 NBA finals series, and when interviewed by the media, the Lakers superstar used Harry Potter as an example. He said that in dealing with Voldemort, Harry Potter had more problems than what the Lakers had in dealing with the media and the Celtics.
The five-time NBA championship winner is indeed a Harry Potter nerd. This could also be seen when Kobe was extremely smiley in a picture posted by one of the Harry Potter cast members when he met them.
There’s no denying it. It just goes to show that people have varied and sometimes unexpected interests, and we think it’s awesome.
