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It’s not news that Kobe Bryant has read the Harry Potter books. He’s said he loves them. He’s said that J. K. Rowling is his number-one favorite British person. But exactly how into Harry Potter is Kobe? When Chuck Klosterman interviewed the Lakers star for our March issue, this exchange caught our eye:

**Chuck Klosterman: **[S]ome would argue that "branding" is storytelling with a commercial end.

**Kobe:**For some. For some. But that’s not a universal thing. That’s like saying every wizard within Slytherin House is a villain.

...Some would argue that! Those people would be frequenters of the Pottermore Shop. Is Kobe Bryant a frequenter of the Pottermore Shop?! We did our own dive into the Restricted Section to see precisely how geeky the Heir of Slytherin Black Mamba is about the Boy Who Lived. Here’s every time Kobe Bryant has mentioned Harry Potter to the media over the last eight years.

January 2015: "[T]hat’s not a universal thing. That’s like saying every wizard within Slytherin House is a villain." —That’s us.

June 2014: [_After _attempting an English accent for Jimmy Kimmel] "I don’t know, I just mimic what they sound like in Harry Potter."

February 2014: Kobe Bryant allegedly has the shop Dervish & Banges closed down for him while visiting the Harry Potter theme park.

January 2014: Kobe meets the cast members of Harry Potter_. _He’s extremely smiley.

July 2013: Kobe names dog after one of the three Unforgivable Curses: "Our lab Crucio enjoying our pool!"

July 2012: In the_ Daily Mail,_ before winning a gold medal at the London Olympics: "I’m a huge Harry Potter fan and a huge J. K. Rowling fan. I’m a fan of everything she does and I’ve read all the books."