Kobe gets awesome All-Star farewell gift from Japanese reporter
Kobe Bryant is no Shaquille O'Neal when it comes to nicknames. He's got Black Mamba, and Vino was once en vogue. Well, add one more: Samurai Kobe.
During Friday's All-Star Game media session on Friday at Toronto, Bryant was surrounded by a massive group of reporters, even by Kobe standards, eager to talk to one of the all-time greats for one last time in an All-Star setting.
One of those media members was a reporter from Japan, who brought Kobe this farewell gift:
A Japanese reporter gave this to Kobe as a retirement gift pic.twitter.com/gx7IUXeRh5
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) February 12, 2016
During his 20 seasons in the league, Bryant has become a global icon. As for Asia, any time he travels to China he gets mobbed by fans who cheer and swoon with a Beatles-like fascination.
Japanese fans might remember when Bryant served as the voice of the NBA in a Red Cross effort following the devastating 2011 earthquate and tsunami.
