Ettore Messina: Kobe Bryant Took Great Interest in the EuroLeague

Ettore Messina says Kobe Bryant knew his work in Europe from the first day they met, and that it was Bryant's interest in the EuroLeague that brought them close.

Messina was a consultant on the Lakers coaching staff in the 2011/12 season. Bryant came into the coaches' room that first day, he recalled.

"He treated me as if I were an NBA coach. And he said straight away: 'Coach, I saw what you did in Bologna, I watched the games and all that.' That is how our relationship began, largely because of how much he was interested in the EuroLeague. So we talked a lot," Messina said.

The Italian also said he learned a good deal from Bryant.

"I learned a lot from him: how he understood the game, how he saw it. And the high standards he set for himself. Demanding that of himself, he demanded the same of everyone around him, coaches and team-mates. He put enormous pressure on the whole system. He was a man who simply could not accept defeat," Messina said.