Retired NBA superstar Kobe Bryant recently popped up in a Chinese commercial playing ping-pong, showing his skills in other sports beyond basketball.
NBA star Kobe Bryant might be retired from his sport of choice, but he’s still making moves off the court. The former Los Angeles Lakers superstar and five-time champion recently showed up in a new commercial in China where he demonstrated his table tennis skills.
The advertisement finds Kobe off his ping pong game in the early part of the matchup, before his coach gets a bright idea. Noticing Kobe seems to be showing signs of hunger, the coach grabs his mobile phone, brings up an app and orders Kobe some food to be delivered at once.
Once he’s well nourished, Kobe finds his energy and his game. The 18-time NBA All-Star and surefire future Hall of Famer ends up making an impressive comeback, finishing with a smashing move to defeat his opponent. It appears whatever Kobe ate was the real secret to his success.
For those wondering, the Chinese commercial is for a company called Ele.me which Kobe is a pitchman for. The company is similar to the Seamless which provides food delivery service to those using the app.
By the way, Kobe’s a big deal in China, so his appearance there makes plenty of sense. The Lakers great is the most popular basketball player in a country that produced former big man Yao Ming. Back in June, the recently-retired Bryant had dinner with martial arts action movie star Jackie Chan in Beijing, so it appears he’s embracing the culture and his popularity there.
It goes to show that Kobe may have transcended pop culture in a way very similar to former player Michael Jordan, who had plenty of international popularity and reach. Wisely, both are looking to use that star status to bring their brands to those areas of the world. LeBron James and others are likely taking notes and building for their own post-basketball careers.
By the way, don’t be surprised to see Kobe pop up in other countries as well, as the former Lakers superstar is also fluent in Italian and Spanish!
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