Who's got the top basketball jersey in China? Not Yao Ming...
Posted: Wednesday, August 20, 2008 8:30 AM by Dan Fleschner
Filed Under:
Beijing
Trivia question: Who has the top-selling NBA jersey in China? I'll give you a hint: it's not Yao Ming. It's not Yi Jianlian, either. It's actually Kobe Bryant.
That's right, Kobe's #24 in Lakers purple and gold is the most popular jersey over here, and he draws a crowd wherever he goes. We got an inkling of that at the Opening Ceremony, when the crowd roared anytime his face appeared on the scoreboard.
But the point was driven home more emphatically when we taped an interview with him last week, which aired today. WATCH VIDEO
We shot the interview on the Olympic Green, near the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube, and as soon as someone spotted Kobe riding out to the location in his golf cart, word spread almost instantly, causing a mob of people to start chasing after him. They brandished cameras and cried out, "Kobe! Kobe!" (see the photo below)
It's hard to imagine many more American athletes -- or athletes from any country -- commanding the attention of so many Chinese people.
The U.S. team's play on the court has also commanded lots of attention; the Americans hammered Australia today to advance to the semifinals.
Here are a few out-takes from the interview about Kobe's experience in China so far:
Matt: I guess the first thing I should ask you is, what do you make of this place? We're here on the Olympic Green. The Bird's Nest is here, National Stadium over there. What do you think of Beijing?
Kobe: Well I think it's unbelievable, and I think they've done such a fantastic job of hosting the Olympics, which is not a small task, and I think they've done a remarkable job.
Matt: What's your Olympic experience? Forget the time on the court. You know, there's so much of the Olympics that takes place away from your event. What's that been like for you?
Kobe: Well actually it's been great. I had the opportunity to go to the Village, which is where all the athletes stay, and I don't know if everyone has been to Disney World, but it's like going to Disney World and being at Epcot Center. You just have so many different countries, so many different cultures, and it's just a beautiful experience, to have the greatest athletes in the world eating in the same cafeteria. It's awesome.
