Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
CHICAGO — After Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks revealed that Kobe Bryant hit him with some Slovenian trash talk from courtside during a game, admiration for Bryant’s linguistic versatility was a common reaction.
Bewilderment was another.
Bryant had long been known to speak Italian and Spanish in addition to English. What was never clearly explained: how or when Bryant managed to pick up a few unprintable words in Doncic’s native tongue.
Sasha Vujacic knew. One of the first Slovenians to reach the N.B.A., Vujacic played alongside Bryant for more than six seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers — and let’s just say he helped Bryant expand his vocabulary.