37 replies to this topic

[MDI]

2. Kobe Bryant
This was the oddity of the night. Behind the Chinese president and the entire national team, the one athlete who appeared to get the loudest ovation was none other than Kobe Bean Bryant. The moment was so odd that even U.S. journalists were looking at each other in puzzlement. The Russian, Chinese and American presidents were here, but Kobe was the head of state tonight.

http://sports.yahoo....g...o&type=lgns

Edited by MDI, August 08, 2008 - 04:20 PM.

[clarisseypoo]

MVP MVP!

Nice hat. :lol:

[Smart Alex]

China loves them some Kobe Beef

Edited by RoyalStella9, August 08, 2008 - 04:37 PM.

[SaintNicholasVanExel]

Can't believe I'm actually going to try to watch this tonight.

[BALISTIK]

nice. his jersey is popular there too

Edited by BALISTIK, August 08, 2008 - 05:05 PM.

[popo]

Thats wass up...

[Varsity Optimism]

damn right.

[Maddocks]

any video?

[hype]

any video?

[nameant]

Who else did you expect? Kobe Bean is THE MAN.

[lyk13]

Yeah I watched the entire opening ceremony, it's really a next-world event seriously...:lol: Was waiting for USA to emerge, had to wait terribly long.

WHen they finally came out, I saw Howard and Boozer, WITHOUT THEIR HATS....way to go for those 2, think I caught a glimpse of Melo, before finally seeing Kobe on my tv's bottom left corner...:lol:

Then after China came out(and I thought USA's group was huge, China's even bigger I think), the camera men shows some atheletes in attendance, there's one of AK,Boozer and Deron, and there's our man, Kobe, he has quite a length of the airtime if I recall correctly, maybe 10 seconds, he was making "Victory" signs or something, while adjusting his hat...woah....I was so delighted, felt that my 4 hrs spent on that opening ceremony was well worth it...

Yeah I wish someone could rip that part out....the cheers for him was very huge....

[lyk13]

Leslie ready after ‘awesome’ opening ceremony

EDITOR’S NOTE: Lisa Leslie periodically will take a behind the scenes look at the U.S. women’s Olympic team in a first-person diary

By LISA LESLIE

For The Associated Press

BEIJING (AP)—Welcome back to my Olympic diary. I just left the opening ceremony and it was awesome. China did a great job with the torch lighting and the fireworks.

But the one thing we all learned is Kobe (Bryant) is the most popular player here, maybe the most popular athlete at the Olympics. The crowd was chanting his name, “Kobe, Kobe,” and the volunteers who were supposed to be guiding us were trying to get autographs. It is so out of control with Kobe that LeBron James cracked, “I thought I was famous until I got here with Kobe.” Kobe is big here in China.

Kobe is also (my daughter) Lauren’s favorite player. Kobe has been playing with her since we’ve been here; I think he is missing his kids. Her favorites words are “up, up,” because she likes to be picked up and Kobe has been giving her lifts. But I told Lauren, there is only so high you can go. I’m 6-foot-5, Kobe is 6-6 and my husband, Michael, is 6-6.

...

Source: http://sports.yahoo....b...p&type=lgns

Women’s team sees other side of Kobe and LeBron

BEIJING (AP)—Katie Smith and the U.S. women’s basketball team got a taste of what it feels like to be an NBA superstar with fans chasing after them and the paparazzi snapping photos, begging the question: Does China have that much passion for women’s basketball?

Nope, those were just some of the benefits of traveling with the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and the rest of the men’s team.

While the women have witnessed first hand thousands of fans lining the streets to snap a photo of their favorite NBA stars, the women have also seen another side of their brethren. They are just a bunch of normal guys—some even babysitters—who share the same hotel, gym and meal room.

“They definitely are rock stars,” Smith said. “But for us it’s fun to see them in a relaxed setting. They are just coming in here to play and have fun. When we see them around they are just able to hang out and be themselves.”

The men have arguably become the face of America at the games. But even the biggest stars like Bryant and James are just normal around the women. Lisa Leslie has known Bryant since he joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1997. Both have young children and have gotten to know each other through the years.

“Kobe and I have a relationship because we’ve been friends since the day he got to L.A,” said Leslie, who has played her entire 11-year WNBA career with the Los Angeles Sparks. “He’s missing his kids and me having Lauren here, he’s always holding her waiting for his kids to arrive.”

To Lauren, having Bryant and the men’s team around gives her a chance to play her favorite game—going up high in the air.

“It’s so funny. Lauren’s like up, up. Usually it’s like 6-foot-5 with me, but here it’s 6-foot-6, 6-foot-9, there’s only so far you can go up,” Leslie said. “Most of them have kids and we chit chat about it. They ask how it is having a daughter since they have sons. They want to know how Lauren is to her dad.”

At breakfast the other day, Leslie wanted to get some food, but had Lauren around. No problem. In steps Bryant.

“I love her little baby, she’s a cute kid and I’ve told her I’d baby sit any time she wanted to go out to an event or something,” Bryant said. “I miss my girls so it’s a comfortable feeling for me. The other day in the buffet line I was holding her and I had her in my arm and I was getting my food and I thought this feels natural because I’ve always got one in my arm.”

Besides enjoying spending time with Lauren, Bryant has developed a respect for what Leslie has brought to the women’s game.

“She’s one of the pioneers for the game in terms of bring it mainstream,” he said. “There was Cheryl Miller and others before her, but Lisa really helped take it to the next level. The relationship we had started off with mutual respect. I was young, I was up and coming and getting started, and she never treated me like a young kid.”

The two teams have a mutual respect with both having the pressure of winning a gold medal. On Friday, the men’s team practiced right after the women. The men got to the arena a little early and joked around with the women on the court before starting their workout.

Despite all the time the teams spend together, it’s still hard sometimes for the women not to step back and be in awe of the men.

“It’s unbelievable the way they impact people and don’t even know it and that’s cool,” Smith said.

Source: http://sports.yahoo....b...p&type=lgns

[ファイナルファンタジ]

Nice to know that the rest of the world know what's up. Didn't know Kobe was a babysitter though (well then again he does have kids too).

[Angela1986]

I didn't really hear them cheering his name but if it did happen, that's awesome. I just saw him in the Nike commercial though.

[lyk13]

I didn't really hear them cheering his name but if it did happen, that's awesome. I just saw him in the Nike commercial though.

I think amidst all the cheers, only in the bird's nest can they hear that...to me, it's just LOUD cheers...nevertheless, it's for our man.

[J A C K]

神戶最佳曾經

[lyk13]

神戶最佳曾�"

Wait...what does that mean by 曾經? I know 神戶 is Kobe...but Most Valuable...WHAT?

[J A C K]

ever

[Jaime Quintanilla]

=