In celebration of the Charlotte Hornets playing their first-ever regular season game outside of North America on Friday, Jan. 24 in Paris, Hornets.com will be highlighting different international fans of the team in a three-part written series.
Filippo Barresi has never been one for hopping on the bandwagon. Growing up in the northwest city of Alessandria, Italy, he never warmed to rooting for local soccer powerhouse Juventus (the one with Cristiano Ronaldo), despite the team’s immense popularity and superstar players. Instead, Barresi supports lesser-known Sampdoria in nearby Genoa, thanks to his father’s fandom and own self-preference for the smaller clubs.