Kobe Bryant Plays for Charity in China
- 12 years ago
NBA superstar Kobe Bryant joined forces with Taiwanese pop singer Jay Chou for a charity basketball extravaganza in Shanghai on Saturday night.
More than 6,000 fans cheered as Bryant appeared with a guitar in his arms and Chou with a basketball.
The Los Angeles Lakers defender scored 68 points in 15 minutes in the charity game, but the final score was bumped up to 88 points after fans were invited to send in text messaging votes for both sides.
Bryant, who led the US team to victory at the London Olympics earlier this month, says he’s satisfied with his performance at the Games, which will be his last.
[Kobe Bryant, NBA Star]:
"I have to give myself a ten because I did what I was supposed to do. My job in the team is to take the best player on the other team and try to stop him from scoring the ball. And then, when the opportunity presents itself, to score big baskets for my team, and I was able to do that. And then in terms of next Olympics, unfortunately, no, that's it for me. It was the last Olympics for me."
The event raised over $400,000 in ticket revenue, which will go towards building and improving basketball facilities in Project Hope schools for underprivileged children in China.
Bryant and Chou worked together last year on a television commercial and a theme song called "The Heaven and Earth Challenge" for China Sprite, both of which also raised funds for Project Hope.
This is the seventh summer in a row that the NBA star has travelled to China, where he is hugely popular and respected as a professional athlete.
On this trip, Bryant has hosted training clinics in China's Shandong and Hubei provinces, and attended a charity dinner by the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation for disadvantaged children.
More than 6,000 fans cheered as Bryant appeared with a guitar in his arms and Chou with a basketball.
The Los Angeles Lakers defender scored 68 points in 15 minutes in the charity game, but the final score was bumped up to 88 points after fans were invited to send in text messaging votes for both sides.
Bryant, who led the US team to victory at the London Olympics earlier this month, says he’s satisfied with his performance at the Games, which will be his last.
[Kobe Bryant, NBA Star]:
"I have to give myself a ten because I did what I was supposed to do. My job in the team is to take the best player on the other team and try to stop him from scoring the ball. And then, when the opportunity presents itself, to score big baskets for my team, and I was able to do that. And then in terms of next Olympics, unfortunately, no, that's it for me. It was the last Olympics for me."
The event raised over $400,000 in ticket revenue, which will go towards building and improving basketball facilities in Project Hope schools for underprivileged children in China.
Bryant and Chou worked together last year on a television commercial and a theme song called "The Heaven and Earth Challenge" for China Sprite, both of which also raised funds for Project Hope.
This is the seventh summer in a row that the NBA star has travelled to China, where he is hugely popular and respected as a professional athlete.
On this trip, Bryant has hosted training clinics in China's Shandong and Hubei provinces, and attended a charity dinner by the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation for disadvantaged children.