Lakers’ Bryant talks of namesake sneakers and role models

As NBA superstar Kobe Bryant arrived Sept. 5 in the Philippines, he was received with overwhelming admiration by a swarm of the country’s die hard basketball fans, who started to gather around the store where the Los Angeles Lakers guard was scheduled to make an appearance nine hours prior to his arrival, according to an Associated Press story posted Sept. 5 on GlobeandMail.com.

Bryant is embarking on a five day tour of Asia and his first stop in Manila will then be followed by visits to Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai and Taipei - to name a few. The tour is part of a campaign to promote his new line of Nike shoes, the Kobe II, and to spend time mentoring youth who are interested in learning the secrets of Bryant’s phenomenonal basketball skills. In Manila, Bryant was received as a near perfect superhero and was referred to as a role model to youth, even though sine he last visited the country more than three years ago he was sent to trial on rape charges. Bryant acknowledge the label Manila youth have given him by stating, “The important thing to remember when people talk about role models, they assume role models are perfect,” Bryant said. “Nobody’s perfect.” He went on to state, according to the AP article, that key was not to avoid making mistakes but to avoid duplicating them. His message was accepted by a large crowd of cheering fans, who chanted Bryant’s name and “MVP!”

When Bryant heads home next week, the NBA all-star will shortly return to regular season play with the start of the Lakers’ fall training camp. Make sure to snag Lakers tickets for this season’s games at Stubhub.com for all the best deals.

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