Kobe Bryant might no longer be the best basketball player in the world, having seceded that title over to the likes LeBron James and Kevin Durant, but there is no doubt that he is still the game's most popular figure. Everywhere Team USA Basketball went throughout Europe on their way to London, it was Bryant who was getting the most media attention - possibly because of his Italian roots - and receiving the most adulation from the fans. Americans might finally be looking past Bryant, but try telling that to the fans who are tens of thousands of miles away from the Staples Center.
Bryant followers packed Wuhan, a city with a population of 10 million, just for a chance to catch a glimpse of him as he began his annual tour of Asia sponsored by Nike on Thursday. The tour included a press conference, where he was able to talk about his time with Team USA Basketball and to promote the release of his Asian-exclusive Nike Zoom Dream Season IV, a takedown model that is built for outdoor basketball.
After the press conference, Bryant took time to visit the local basketball stadium and witnessed some of the best young Chinese basketball players play against each other while also hosting a basketball clinic to show off his skills for the crowd. Some of the players even managed to receive a pair of the Dream Season IV and there were even those who walked away with the "Gold Medal" Nike Zoom Kobe VII colorway that has yet to make its way to US soil.
Source: Freshness
Follow me on Twitter and be sure to check out and like the Examiner Kicks Facebook page and subscribe to our Youtube channel which is full of updates and commentary you won't see here.
No comments:
Post a Comment