Kobe Bryant is a superstar in NBA history. In his 20-year career, he averaged 25 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, and won 5 championships, 2 FMVPs, 1 regular season MVP, and 18 All-Stars. Star, 15 All-NBA Teams, 12 All-Defensive Teams, 2 scoring champions, and has received a lot of honors.
For such a successful superstar, Kobe has huge popularity around the world. He is said to have 60E fans. He has countless fans in China alone. Many Chinese fans grew up watching Kobe play. Fans will Kobe was regarded as their youth idol. Whenever Kobe comes to China, the crowds of people are overwhelming. In the eyes of the fans, they only see Kobe, Kobe, Kobe. In order to get a glimpse of Kobe, several people were eagerly looking forward to it, and some fans even climbed up trees to see Kobe. The popularity can be described as fearful. At that moment, you really believed that Kobe had 60E fans.
Kobe Bryant’s popularity in China is comparable to that of Yao Ming. How could CCTV miss the opportunity to report on this celebrity?
From CCTV1-6, these CCTV channels are keen to report on Kobe Bryant. There are so many outstanding athletes in the world, why does CCTV favor Kobe so much? There are several reasons for this.
Great market appeal
As mentioned earlier, Kobe’s popularity in China is comparable to that of Yao Ming. Whenever Kobe starts a trip to China, the enthusiasm of Chinese fans can be described as fiery. None of them are excessive, the streets are empty, crowded, busy with traffic, weather-tight, crowded, overcrowded, etc. I have never seen such market appeal from any star. It can be said that I have never seen any star have such a big influence when he came to China. Only Kobe is the only one. His popularity is really unstoppable.
As the leader of the domestic media industry, CCTV will naturally seize social hot spots, broadcast news about Kobe and invite Kobe to participate in some interviews, so that Chinese fans can better understand Kobe’s personality. As for why CCTV prefers Kobe, in addition to his strong market appeal, there are other reasons.
Kobe’s spirit
What is Kobe’s spirit? I believe every Kobe fan will blurt it out - Mamba spirit. That's right, it's Mamba Mentality.
So what is Mamba Mentality?
Kobe Bryant is nicknamed "Black Mamba", and the Black Mamba is a snake with strong venom and attack power. The venomous snake is fearless, even if the venomous snake loses its explosive power. Kobe gave this spirit of never giving up, not fearing, not retreating, this is the Mamba spirit.
Kobe used this spirit on the court. After entering the league, Kobe started from the bench and worked hard step by step. Later, he became a terrifying killer on the court and a true superstar, leading the Lakers to win 5 championships.
In order to become stronger, Kobe sometimes started training at four in the morning. The famous saying "Have you ever seen Los Angeles at four in the morning?" is a true portrayal of Kobe.
Kobe passed on this spirit and inspired countless fans. Many people regard Kobe as their idol. When fans watch Kobe's games, they are moved by his spirit and think of their own dreams. If they want to win, they should never give up and fight persistently like Kobe.
Kobe loves China
Kobe is a player who loves China very much. Every time he travels to China, fans greet Kobe with great enthusiasm, which deeply touches Kobe. During the activities, he actively interacted with the fans, often taught some fans about basketball, encouraged and helped them, and never played tricks or played big names. This is the biggest difference between Kobe and other stars - Kobe's affinity is very strong.
Looking back on Kobe’s life, he visited China many times. From coming to Hong Kong and Beijing to promote basketball in 2001, to the 2019 Men's Basketball World Cup draw ceremony, Kobe participated in the draw ceremony as a World Cup promotion ambassador together with Yao Ming, chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association.
Kobe Bryant once said, "China is like my second homeland. There are many people here who support me. When I hear their cheers, I will be more passionate about playing."
Kobe Bryant's love for China was not just lip service. In 2009, the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation proactively contacted the Kobe Bryant Family Foundation, and eventually both parties agreed to establish the "Kobe Bryant China Foundation." After the Wenchuan earthquake, the Kobe Bryant China Foundation donated 5 million to Wenchuan, mainly to help educate children from poor families in China and promote the development of Chinese basketball!
Kobe Bryant’s series of good deeds and influence in China have naturally been favored by CCTV. In order to broadcast Kobe's retirement battle live, CCTV5 canceled the "Sports News" that was broadcast every noon for the first time in history.
Kobe Bryant’s retirement battle is a top event for fans all over the world. Several big-name stars gathered at Staples, including Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, O’Neal, and Beckham. Em, Jay-Z and other big-name players or celebrities came to the scene to support the event.
For Chinese fans, Kobe’s retirement station is very important. He is the youth of many fans and is a game not to be missed.
That day, many Chinese fans paid tribute to Kobe in their own way, and a lot of news about Kobe appeared in WeChat Moments. In order to pay tribute to Kobe, some sports companies even gave their employees a day off to make it easier for them to watch the game.
From this we can see how great Kobe's influence is and how important he occupies in the hearts of Chinese fans!