Kobe in Manila

[milkyway21]

NBA superstar Kobe Bryant admires a jeepney decorated with his new ad for sports apparel Nike. Photo by AP
http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Sp...id=20070905137

Kobe Bryant takes Manila by storm
By Joaquin Henson
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Like the blur that he is on the court, basketball star Kobe Bryant was all over town yesterday to kick off the five-stop Nike Supernatural Asian Tour and enthralled his legion of fans in the wake of a one-day whirlwind visit.

Bryant arrived in a 10-seat Nike Lear jet from Las Vegas, where he just played for the champion US team in the FIBA-Americas Olympic qualifiers, Tuesday night. He was accompanied by a personal bodyguard and Nike executives. The plane touched down in Honolulu for refueling before heading for Manila.

He leaves this morning for Taipei then proceeds to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing.

It was unlike his first visit as a 19-year-old, wide-eyed NBA sop re in 1998 when he stayed for four days with mother Pamela. This time, Bryant zipped in and out. But the trip was just as eventful.

“I was 19 then, now I’m 29,” said Bryant at an early afternoon press conference in the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. “I’m all grown up now, with more facial hair. I’ve got three (NBA) championships. I’ve come full circle and it’s fulfilling.”

From the hotel, Bryant motored to Nike Park at Bonifacio High Street to meet 20 students of the Eliseo-Belen Elementary School. Nike is donating a basketball court to the Pampanga school that was buried by lahar during the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991. Bryant autographed the backboards that will be put up on the court.

Then, Bryant supervised a workout with coaches Eric Altamirano and Alex Compton for a select group of graduates from the Nike Elite Camp at the PhilSports Arena. Now in its second year, the Nike Elite Camp is a by-invitation-only, all-expenses-paid program for outstanding high school cagers. Among the campers drilled by Bryant were La Salle Zobel’s David Webb, Benedictine International School’s Clark Bautista, San Beda Taytay’s L. A. Revilla and Nicolas Salva, University of Perpetual Help System Delta’s Franz Dysam, University of the Philippines’ Michael Gamboa and Ateneo’s Kirk Long.

Bryant’s trip also set the stage for the launch of his P7,495 Nike Zoom Kobe II shoe in Asia today.

Heng Yee Shan, regional PR/energy manager of Nike Southeast Asia, said Manila was chosen as the first leg of the Asian tour because of the popularity of the game here. The Philippines is the only Southeast Asian country in Bryant’s itinerary, causing reporters from Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia to fly in for yesterday’s jampacked press conference.

Bryant was in his elements as he fielded questions from media for about 15 minutes. Sitting in a chair on a makeshift stage, he took off his overshirt and looked comfortable in a muscle tee. Photographers and TV camera crews shot away with Bryant basking in the limelight.

What a change from 1998 when his NBA future was still being shaped. Now, Bryant is assured of his place in NBA history – the proud owner of three championship rings, the NBA scoring leader the last two seasons, the MVP of the 2002 All-Star Game and the holder of the record for the second highest single-game score with 81 points (behind only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100).

To top it all, he earns over $1 million a month on the seven-year, $136.4 million contract extension he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2004. That’s not counting what he earns from endorsements, roughly $12 million a year including a five-year $40 million deal with Nike.

Bryant said this summer, he lost 20 pounds to anticipate defending against smaller and quicker guards in the FIBA-Americas qualifiers. He worked hard in the gym and ate healthy to regain the agility that was a trademark of his game in 2000.

“The biggest part of my diet was not eating junk food,” he said. “I love apple pie, ice cream, chocolate cake and fast food but I had to give them all up. It was a combination of diet and working out. I balanced it out with a weightlifting program so I didn’t lose my power and I got faster and stronger.”

Bryant said playing for the US team in Las Vegas was special. “The NBA is a regional game where you have Lakers fans, Pistons fans and Spurs fans,” he went on. “When you play for your country, the entire nation is behind one team. There’s a great sense of pride in playing for your country.”

Bryant said in the Asian tour, he’s forward to sharing his knowledge of the game with future stars.

“It’s a blessing to be able to play,” he said. “Basketball is a fun sport. You get the most out of it by working hard. I call my workout the ‘blackout’ because I push myself until I almost black out. I’m here to spread the message of the game which is to enjoy yourself, love what you do, work hard and appreciate that it’s a fun game.”

Bryant said playing for an NBA le or the Olympic gold medal is equally important.

“I focus on my goals one at a time,” he said. “I don’t have to decide one or the other. We give a lot of emphasis to both. We practice with the US team like we practice for the NBA Finals.”

On being a role model, Bryant said the key is to learn from mistakes because nobody is perfect.

“Perfect role models don’t exist,” he said. “Everyone makes mistakes. If you’ve got a role model, try to learn from his mistakes and don’t duplicate those mistakes. My philosophy is live everyday like your last day. Enjoy the moment. Live life to the fullest. It’s difficult for kids to grasp because they think you can live forever.”

Bryant said what drives him to overachieve is his will to win, not critics or those who applaud his exploits. “That’s what it’s all about,” said Bryant. “You do whatever it takes to win games and if you don’t win, you bounce back.”

With the Lakers, Bryant said he’ll train hard to get ready for next season and stay healthy. He declined to comment on the team’s player movements which include reacquiring Derek Fisher, reactivating Chris Mihm, signing up Coby Karl and drafting 7-1 Spanish center Marc Gasol and 6-9 Chinese point guard Sue Yue.

“Assuming I’m Bill Gates, I’ll start with the entire USA team to rebuild the Lakers,” he quipped.





Manila showers Kobe with affection

Thursday, September 6, 2007
More than 7,000 miles from home, fans were chanting his name, and Kobe Bryant was loving it.

No controversy. No tough questions. In the basketball-loving Philippines, no one was going to ruffle the feathers of a charismatic icon visiting to promote the sport, encourage kids to pursue their dreams and maybe sell a few pairs of his new line of shoes.

“I love Manila,” a beaming Bryant told a crowd that started gathering at 6 a.m. outside a store in Taguig City, nine hours before he appeared. “The energy here is off the charts.”

Bryant, fresh off a gold medal at the FIBA Americas championship, kicked off his five-stop Asian tour yesterday.

A lot has happened to Bryant since his first trip to Manila a decade ago – three NBA les with the Los Angeles Lakers and a rape case that was eventually dismissed but left many wondering if he would ever successfully polish the tarnish off his star.

Filipinos provided the answer. He was even touted as a role model for children, a tag that he didn’t try to avoid.

“The important thing to remember when people talk about role models, they assume role models are perfect,” Bryant said. “Nobody’s perfect.”

The key, he said, is not to duplicate mistakes, and to try to give back to the community with charity and efforts to spread the sport.

Bryant was still basking in the success of the US basketball team, which earned favorable comparisons with the first two “Dream Teams” put together after professionals were allowed to compete at the Olympics.

“When you have an opportunity to play for your country, it’s even more special,” he said. “The whole country gets behind you.”

Asked who he would choose to surround himself with if he were Lakers owner Jerry Buss, Bryant said: “Can I assume I’m Bill Gates, too? All of the USA basketball team.”

Bryant said he has taken off 20 pounds since the end of the NBA season, partly by paying attention to his diet for the first time.

“My primary focus this summer was defense,” he said. “I had to guard smaller, quicker players. I wanted to get back some of the agility I had in 2000,” without losing strength.

What has he been eating?

“Grass,” Bryant joked, before saying he had to give up fast food and some of his decadent favorites – apple pie with ice cream, chocolate cake and sugar cookies.

“I can feel the results already,” he said.

The Nike store, in the Fort Bonifacio area, was festooned with a poster promoting Bryant’s new shoe, the Kobe II.

At P7,000 (about US$150), the shoes represent about six weeks’ pay for the average Filipino. But the mostly middle- to upper-class crowd waved his jerseys and raised the old model shoe when he came out of the store. Arms went up as one, cell phones snapping photos.

Construction workers at two adjacent buildings stopped what they were doing and gathered on the roofs or clung to scaffolding as supervisors tried to get them back on the job.

Bryant, who later gave a basketball clinic, laughed as the crowd chanted his name, then “MVP.”

He appeared to be most touched when children of a school that is getting a new basketball court, donated by Nike, gave him a framed collection of crayon drawings they had done of him.

“Keep your dreams alive,” Bryant said. “Keep going after it.” AP

[Manu Pacquiao]

I hate the "LA Lakers superstar" Kobe Bryant, he's so irritating and y.

But after reading the article, I remembered the skinny 19 year old basketball whiz kid that was so friendly and accomodating to all his Filipino fans, young and old. That was 10 years ago already?

The guy was genuinely nice and was charming, he was respectful and was always smiling. Loved to play ball with the little kids.

I dont hate him so much anymore. He isnt such a bad person. There's a good guy inside that brash and whiny, big ego exterior.

[milkyway21]

I hate the "LA Lakers superstar" Kobe Bryant, he's so irritating and y.

But after reading the article, I remembered the skinny 19 year old basketball whiz kid that was so friendly and accomodating to all his Filipino fans, young and old. That was 10 years ago already?

The guy was genuinely nice and was charming, he was respectful and was always smiling. Loved to play ball with the little kids.

I dont hate him so much anymore. He isnt such a bad person. There's a good guy inside that brash and whiny, big ego exterior.

I used to hate the Lakers before but not because of Kobe but because of ShaQ. And i think there was one Laker who called the Spurs team Spuritis & (ShaQ), an WNBA team. And losing to them in the playoffs when they were still playing together and winning), kind of increasing the hate every yr.
But I always think Kobe has the potential to be the next Michael Jordan based on his passion to play the game of basketball and charisma. The people love him esp the kids and I was amazed how they waited 9 long hrs just to see him yesterday. I think he enjoyed his brief stay. Dunking and showing his stuff and all.

But I don't think he'd be the perfect role model for them. That rape case against him true or not will always be on everyone else's minds today and in the future.

[FDGDFGDF]

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