Kobe Visiting South Africa for World Cup

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant is on his first trip to Africa, taking in some World Cup games and visiting with scores of young soccer players at a new training center in the black township of Soweto.

Bryant grew up playing soccer β€” as well as basketball β€” as a boy in Italy, and has been following the World Cup in South Africa.

He saw the United States lose to Ghana on Saturday, but praised the Americans for giving a huge boost to soccer’s popularity back home. Now he wants to see Brazil play β€” he likes the way they weave their individual talents into deft teamwork.

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