And his second love is...soccer? It’s true! The five-time NBA champ revealed his love for the sport in an interview with CNN. With World Cup fever in the air and some time off his usual court, Kobe Bryant [1] recently visited a new football center in – where else? – South Africa.

The new football (er, soccer) facility in Soweto provides personal development, life skills programs, and access to health education to 20,000 children each year, in a region with the world’s largest HIV/AIDS positive population [2]. Eager to spread the word about how sport can help [3] do some good, Bryant told CNN [4], “Even though I’m a basketball player, the messages remain the same because I was a kid just like they were – it’s all about accomplishing the dream. I think it’s only right and it’s important that once you’ve reached a certain level you give back and you help the next generation of players and kids accomplish their goals too.”

Fun fact: this Los Angeles Laker also speaks fluent Italian and Spanish- he was introduced to soccer while living in Italy as a child! What can you do to help bridge the gap in health education around the world? Check out our action guide [5] to get going.